Chapter 2: Prey

Babysitting had gone well, surprisingly.

Max was a good kid. A little difficult to talk to, seeing as she was very reserved, but put her in front of a TV screen surrounded by junk food and she was a happy camper. But the happiness was brief; I could see that she was angry inside, probably with the fact that her mom married some stranger who moved her miles away from home. And with Billy as a stepbrother, it only made matters worse.

We didn't see or hear from Billy for the rest of the night, he left about an hour after the awkward encounter I'd had with him and the blonde, much to both mine and Max's relief.

"So like, he's just banging chicks left, right and centre?" Annie chuckles, swirling her straw around in her strawberry milkshake. "Walking STD alert."

I shiver at the thought. "You're probably right, I wonder if he has any children yet."

She laughs. "And the father of the year award goes to..."

"Honestly though, it's such a toxic environment for Max to be growing up in. The way he ordered her to get out of the toilet, you know, when he didn't realise it was me in there, that's awful."

"I wonder if her parents are around much," Annie pondered, taking a sip of her milkshake.

"Well, her stepdad seemed... strict and her mom was pretty much cowering behind him, so I'd say Billy didn't lick it off the stones. Like father, like son." I sigh, shaking my head. "I feel so sorry for Max."

"Yeah, it's a shitty situation," she agreed. "You back there next Saturday?"

I roll my eyes. "Yep, dreading it."

As I lift the spoonful of chocolate ice-cream to my lips, the glass doors open and Brian Crow - A.K.A my husband - enters Scoops Ahoy, flanked by his two best buddies Henry and David. The deliciousness of the ice-cream perfectly matched the sexiness he exuded and I couldn't keep my eyes off his perfectly sculpted body, his white t-shirt a size too small, his nipples hard.

Annie waves a hand in my face. "Helloooo?"

I blink. "Huh?"

She twists her body around to find the cause of my distraction. "Oh for God's sake, seriously?"

I giggle. "What? I'm not allowed to admire the goods?"

"It's fine to take a look, Eve, but don't get caught. You want him to think you're not that into him, that's how guys fall for you."

"As if that's going to happen, I'm way out of his league."

"He'll never fall for you with that attitude. Sit up straight and focus on me," she orders and I laugh, finding it all so ridiculous. "I'm serious!"

Following her command, I do as she says and try to force my eyes from wandering. But from my peripheral vision, I can see that he's seated at the the very last booth down the far end of the room, his back to me.

"It's so difficult not to look," I whine. "You get to go on dates with Alan! I don't stop you!"

She smirks. "I'm on phase two, if you want to get to phase two with Brian you're gonna have to try your best to look at your best friend instead."

I cross my arms, fake-sulking. "Whatever. So how was your hot date yesterday?"

"Well," she starts, a gleam in her eye. "We got to second base in the back of his car. He wanted more, obviously, but I made him wait."

"Is he a good kisser?"

"So good! He asked me out again when he dropped me off last night, I'm going to his place next month in Fort Wayne. His parents are out of town so it'll just be the two of us."

I purse my lips. "Isn't it a little early? you know, to be going all the way to Fort Wayne with a guy you barely know?"

She shrugs. "I really like him, Evie. It'll be fun. I'm not an innocent little virgin like you, it's different."

"I hate that word," I mutter.

"You love it really," she teases, wiggling her eyebrows. "There's something so exciting about being a virgin, the mystery of sex and who you'll lose it to. Could it be Brian? or maybe someone new? Billy Hargrove?"

"Shut up!"

"You know, maybe sparks will fly between you two, all cooped up in that little house. I'm sure he's checked you out, you might not be flashy like all the girls he's hooking up with, but you've got great boobs. Even I'll admit that."

My face is bright red at this point. "Annie, seriously, drop it."

She throws her head back, laughing. "It's too easy to get you all flustered. So virginal."

I cringe at her use of that word, but her voice disappears into the background as my eyes fall on Brian sauntering towards our booth. My breath catches in my throat, my brain struggling to process the fact that he's actually looking at me, a grin on his lips, his eyes dark and inviting.

"Ladies," he greets us both with a dazzling smile, hands behind his back. "How are we doing tonight?"

"Great, now that you're here," Annie replies sarcastically.

"Feeling's mutual, Kelleher."

Although she never admitted it to me, I knew Annie disliked Brian and I had no idea why. I understood that he was arrogant and a typical rich kid, but he was always very charming with us and had never done anything to purposely hurt us. It was especially strange, considering how she knew I had a huge crush on him.

She wanted me to lure him in but she was ruining my chances with her foul attitude whenever I had the opportunity.

"You know, I really need a smoke," she says, pushing her milkshake away and slipping out of the booth. "I'll catch you in a few, Evie."

I look up at Brain and he frowns, running a hand through his silky black hair. "She likes me, right?" he jokes.

I shake my head, my face burning with embarrassment. "I don't know why she's like that, I'm really sorry, Brian."

He slips into Annie's seat and leans forward, his voice low. "At least I get you all to myself."

His words send a shiver through my body and I part my lips, but no words form. I know he's teasing me, it's obvious that I like him and he's enjoying this little game.

Think Eve, think!

"W-What brings you here? I've never seen you at Scoops Ahoy before," I manage to say, the best I could come up with.

"I could ask you the same question," he replies, winking.

"Well, the ice-cream is pretty good."

He chuckles. "Yours is melting, Eve. Mustn't be that good, maybe you've seen something you prefer?"

My heart is racing and I can feel my clothes starting to stick to my skin. "I like it melted." I scoop up a mouthful and bring the spoon to my lips. "Tastes better."

"I can't take your word for it, mind if I try some?"

"Of course," I breathe, my shaky hand handing him the plastic utensil. My stomach is in knots and I'm almost sure I'm about to faint any minute now.

He doesn't break eye contact with me as he very slowly tastes the ice-cream, licking his lips once he's swallowed it. "That was... delicious."

I bite my lip. "Should've believed me."

"Well," he starts, giving me that million dollar smile. "Would you believe me if I said riding in my mustang in the middle of the night beats sitting right here in this ice-cream parlor?"

There's a pause before I pluck up the courage to give him the right answer. "No, I-I'd have to try it."

"I was hoping you'd say that, Eve." He reaches across the table, laying his tan hand over mine where it rests. "How about tomorrow night I pick you up, around nine?"

Holy shit.

I swallow thickly, thinking it through, remembering all of the advice Annie had given me leading up to this moment. "I... I can't do tomorrow, but I can do Sunday next week?"

He cocks his head to the side. "You can't do tomorrow? are you sure?"

"I'm sure," I mumble, looking away, knowing he can see right through my lie.

"If you say so." He retracts his hand from mine and moves to stand up. "Sunday next week, see you then."

I hadn't realized I was holding my breath until he walked away.


The rest of the week passed me by in a blur. Brian had left me in a daze and all I could think about was Sunday. I couldn't sleep, I couldn't eat and I certainly couldn't think straight. My performance in class had declined and I had no interest in any of my hobbies.

I was so distracted that on Friday afternoon after PE I hadn't noticed a familiar blonde waiting for me in the locker room until I was standing right in front of my locker.

"Oh!" I shriek, my towel falling from my hands to the floor.

"Thought I recognised you." She gives me a once-over and I'm suddenly painfully aware of my near-nakedness, clad in only a sports bra and shorts. "Listen, what you saw last weekend never happened. Understood?"

I nod. "Sure. Absolutely."

"I'm serious, if anyone catches wind of that night, you'll be sorry." She leans in, her hot breath fanning my face. "I know where you live, bitch and I know your crazy mom."

Flinching at her words, I take a step back. But my blood is already starting to boil at the mention of my mother. No one disrespects my mother. "How dare you," I hiss, hands now balled in to fists. "You mention my mother again and everyone in Hawkins will know about you and Billy."

"Listen bitch." She steps forward until I'm backed up against the locker. "I'll fuck you and your mom up, I don't mess around. You see this-" she pulls her t-shirt up to reveal a nasty scar on her belly "-this is what you'll get on your pretty little face if you utter a single word. Understand?"

I'm trembling with fury, but I nod. "I understand."

"Good girl."

Upset and humiliated, I'm glad that PE was our last class. I hurry out of the building, my whole body trembling and make a beeline for my car. I'm searching for my keys in the pockets of my jeans when he appears, his reflection in the window startling me. I spin around to face him, my heart racing. "Oh!"

His golden earring gleams in the sunlight and he darts his tongue out, trailing it over his bottom lip. "Babysitting Max get you all stressed? or are you still thinkin' about my body?"

"I... can I help you?"

"If you want, darlin'." He reaches out, pushing a strand of hair from my face. "You babysitting Max tomorrow night?"

"Yeah." I nod, my cheeks burning red. "I a-am."

"Good." He smiles, flashing his pearly whites. "See, I've got a hot date tomorrow evening and I can't have you bailing on me."

"I'll be there," I whisper, my voice trembling.

"You know, you're Max's new favourite person." He takes a step forward so that we're inches apart and bends down, his lips pressed against my ear. "I must say, I'm a little jealous."

His hot breath on my skin sends a shiver down my spine. I open my lips to speak but I'm unable to form any words.

"Billy! Come on!" I hear someone yell and he pulls away from me, giving me a wink before strutting away towards Tommy and Carol. "What were you doing with her?" I hear Tommy ask as Carol shoots me a dirty look.

I quickly get into my car and drive away, needing to get as far away from that building as possible. Things had come so messy.

What had I gotten myself into by babysitting Max?


The following evening I pull up outside the Hargroves' and rush up the front door, running about ten minutes late. I was never late to anything, ever, but after that confrontation with bimbo-head, Billy and finding my mom passed out on the sofa this morning with an empty bottle of wine yet again, I was seriously stressed out.

I knock and the door is pulled open by Mr. Neil Hargrove himself, his brown eyes cold. "You're the babysitter, am I right?"

I nod. "Yes, sorry I'm late, hope I didn't delay you or anything..."

"No, that's fine, you see Max is... missing. It isn't anything out of the ordinary, she's quite a rebellious child, so we've sent Billy to look for her." He sighs. "But Billy... can't be relied upon, so myself and Susan would be very grateful if you could stop by the Wheeler's place, she's probably there. We'll pay you extra."

I ponder over their offer for a second before I shrug. "Sure, I haven't got anything better to be doing anyway."

"Do you need directions?" he asks, lifting an eyebrow.

"No it's fine, I'm familiar with the Wheelers."

"Great." He fishes a pair of keys from his pocket and hands them to me. "To let yourself and Max in, thanks again."

"No problem, anytime," I say, offering him a fake smile before bidding him goodbye and heading back to my car.

This whole thing sounded absolutely ridiculous to me and I wondered what exactly Max's parents were doing when she slipped away unnoticed. She was clearly neglected and sending Billy out to look for her was even worse, God only knows what he'd do to her once he'd found her...

Unfortunately Max wasn't at the Wheelers and an irritated Karen sent me to the Byer's instead.

As I drive up the lonely road towards the Byers' place, Bette Davis Eyes by Kim Carnes' is playing on the radio and I turn the volume up, singing along to one of my all time favourite songs. In my head I imagine it playing the first time I kiss Brian and how sweet that would be, the thought itself giving me butterflies. Two more days until I got to ride with him in his Mustang, it couldn't come quick enough...

The Byers' house was creepy, always had been. I couldn't understand why they'd want to live so far away from everyone, surrounded by the woods and whatever lurked deep within them. I shiver as I step out of the car and scan the area, not a soul to be seen.

As I walk up to the porch I notice the front door is ajar and that despite the lights being on, there was complete silence. I pause on the first step, my heart sinking into my stomach as my gut screams abort mission! But I can't find it in me to walk away, something was up and if anything, I needed to call the police.

Very quietly, I walk up to the door and with a shaky hand I push it open slowly, wincing as it creaks on its hinges. I hold my breath, watching it open to reveal the living room and... Billy Hargrove's body laying flat on the ground.

"Oh my God!" I shriek, running in and dropping to my knees next to him. Pressing my fingers to his bloody neck, I can feel his steady heartbeat and I breathe a sigh of relief. He's alive, I can do this, he's going to be okay, I've got this, I tell myself. Upon further inspection to his face and body, I can tell he's been in a fight and the state of his raw knuckles has my stomach turning.

What the hell happened here? and where the hell was everyone?

"Billy," I say, shaking his shoulders. "Can you hear me?"

He groans in response, his lids opening halfway, eyes unfocused. "M-Max?"

"No, not Max. Are you okay?" I ask, pressing my hand to his cheek, his skin cold.

"Mkay," he responds, his speech slurred.

"I'm gonna call the police okay and -"

"No pol-police," he whines. "P-Please."

My eyes widen. "Why? you need help."

"It's... okay."

I attempt to drag his body out of the front door but I'm far too weak and resort to asking him to stand up. After a couple of attempts, he manages to stand unsteadily on his feet and I throw his arm over my shoulder. We stumble out the door towards the car and I help him into the back seat.

When we reach the Hargoves', his Camaro is parked up outside. This puzzles me as it hadn't been there before and it was nowhere to be seen near the Byers' place. I needed to find out what the hell was going on and locate Max before her parents returned.

I get out of the car and open the back door where Billy is sitting, he's still out of it. "Billy," I whisper as I lean in and shake his shoulder gently. "Billy, wake up."

He moans and reaches out to me, gripping my forearm weakly. "Who... 're you?"

"Eve, Max's babysitter." I give him a small smile as his eyes open, taking in his surroundings. "I need you to try and walk for me, I can't carry your weight by myself."

"What.. the fuck is this?" he asks groggily, his hand falling back into his lap.

"We'll talk about it later, just need you to get out of the car first." I grab his arm and throw it over my shoulder. "Come on."

We struggle for a minute but he manages to get out of the car and we stagger up to the house slowly. Once we're inside, I lead him into his bedroom and help him onto the bed. The room smells strongly of cigarettes and cologne, the walls adorned with band memorabilia and glamour girl posters. Funnily enough, it's exactly how I imagined it to look.

He lays there, his unfocused eyes watching me as I move quickly to the end of the bed, untying his laces and pulling his boots off. A task which proved extremely difficult and nearly knocked me onto my butt. Breathless, I glance up at his face and the corners of his lips are turned up in amusement. He was definitely regaining consciousness, slowly but surely.

I leave the room to fetch him a glass of water and I find Max in the kitchen. Startled, I place my hand over my chest. "Max! You scared me!"

She crosses her arms, looking sheepish. "Sorry..."

"Max, what happened earlier?" I rush over to her, scanning her face. "I need to know, your brother is not okay right now. Who knocked him out?"

"Nobody knocked him out." she snorts. "I drugged him."

My eyes widen. "You what!"

"I had to! He came looking for me and almost hurt my friend Lucas, then he started attacking Steve and he wouldn't stop like, so like, I had to do something... so I drugged him with one of..." her eyes shift awkwardly. "Joyce's syringes. They're just to sedate someone if they're, you know, out of control. The Byers' are a bit strange, uh, don't ask."

"Do you even know if that's what they said it is, Max? That's so weird, Seriously, I..." I pace the room, raking a hand through my hair. "I might need to call an ambulance."

She runs to the kitchen door and shuts it, her back pressed against it. "No! You can't! My stepdad will kill us both."

"So we're just going to wait and see? oh my God, this is not what I signed up for. Why weren't you here when I arrived? you knew I was babysitting tonight."

"I didn't realise what time it was, I swear!"

I shake my head, bewildered. "Look, we can talk about this later okay? I need to make sure Billy is alright before your parents get back."

"He'll be fine," she insists with a roll of her eyes. "He's a jerk, he deserved it. You should've seen Steve's face, it was really bad..."

"Steve Harrington?"

She nods.

"Max... I don't know what to say." I rummage through the cabinets, grabbing what I need to make them both a sandwich. I hadn't realised my hands were shaking until I grabbed a knife and attempted to spread peanut butter over the bread. "Are you hungry?"

"I guess." She pulls out a chair and sits down. "You don't have to do this, you know."

"I want to. I'm used to looking after people." I sigh, setting a plate down in front of her.

She looks up at me. "What do you mean?"

"It's a long story... Now eat up, I'll be back in a minute," I say, grabbing a glass of water and a sandwich. "We'll talk when I get back."

Upon my return, Billy has now positioned himself so that the back of his head rests against the headboard. His tired gaze meets mine as I set the plate and glass down on the bedside locker. "You are a lifesaver, you know that," he whispers, his eyes threatening to close again.

I wave him off. "It's nothing, I'm glad you're... recovering. If you need anything just-"

"Water."

"Sure." I grab the glass and sit myself down next to him on the bed. Under normal circumstances, I wouldn't have dared come within such close proximity to Billy, but he wasn't quite himself at the moment. "Do you need help or are you too tired?"

He reaches for the water in my hand, but his grip is too weak. "Fuck... sake."

"It's okay, I can help." I scoot up so that I'm closer to him and after a brief moment of contemplation, I tentatively reach out and hold his cheek in my left hand, his stubble tickling my skin. Leaning closer, I hold my breath and our eyes meet; his ocean blue orbs, framed by the most luscious lashes I'd ever seen on a man, drawing me in. He smells of cologne with a faint hit of hairspray, his curly locks the perfect frame for his handsome face. I pause, losing my train of thought for a second, before I snap out of it and bring the glass up to his parted lips.

He gulps the water down before leaning his head back again and I quickly stand up, setting it aside. Turning to him, I find him watching me again and offer him a smile. "You should rest up, everything's okay. Max is here."

"Max..." he groans before closing eyes. "Okay."

I head for the door and turn the light off. "Goodnight, Billy."

"G'night... mom."

As I close the door over gently, a sadness overcomes me at his last words.

Who was Billy's mom?


Billy

When Billy awakes, it's 3am and he's drenched in sweat. He doesn't quite remember how he ended up in his room and as he shifts in his king sized bed, the mattress creaks in the quiet, not a sound to be heard in the Hargrove house.

With a grunt, he unbuttons his maroon shirt and shrugs out of it, throwing it to the floor, his jeans following. His knuckles ache and he grins, the feeling so very familiar. In his mind he sees Steve Harrington's bloody face and the thrill each blow gave him, because in Billy's eyes it wasn't Harrington he was seeing.

Guilt twists his gut for a brief second, but he shrugs it off. Feeling any type of remorse was weak. Billy wasn't weak.

But he felt weak when Max had sedated him and he gave in to her command to leave her and her friends alone. "I understand," he'd said. The memory makes him cringe and he can feel his blood starting to boil. How dare she reduce him to that, in front of everyone.

"Fucking little bitch," he mutters to himself, reaching out to switch on the lamp. The room lights up and his eyes fall on an uneaten sandwich and a glass of water on the bedside locker. Frowning, he picks up the plate and inspects it – peanut butter & jelly. It had been years since anyone had made him one of those. It reminded him of his mother and simpler days.

And then he sees her; doe-like eyes and a pretty smile, her soft hand on his cheek. She smelt of fresh cotton sheets and her touch had felt like home.

Innocent and sweet, she would never come within such close proximity to him again. He knew what he was, her face the first time she had seen him outside the bathroom door had said it all, the half-naked slut standing in the hallway only made matters worse – she was too good for him.

But now that he'd had a taste.

He wanted more.