BAD BOY GONE GOOD - A STRANGER THINGS BILLY+FEMALE OC MIXED FANFIC
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
Thank you to all those who faved, read, reviewed, and supported me to continue. Without you this fic wouldn't still be going. I appreciate it. :D
I do not own Stranger Things, Billy, or any original character from the show. This fic is purely for entertainment and is making no money and is completely free. The Duffer Brothers own everything and a big thank you to them for inspiring this. :D
Enjoy.
-BAD BOY GONE GOOD-
Chapter 8 - THE LIFEGUARD & HIS DATE
(Part 2)
Summary:
Billy prepares for his date with Mandy. Mandy is getting ready too. He's thinking of what he can say to get further with her but everything keeps coming out wrong.
He walks over and knocks on the door but he wasn't expecting what she had in store for him. Not by a longshot.
After the movies and her parents go to bed for the night, much to her father's unhappiness in leaving them alone out there, they watch one last movie together. One of Mandy's favorites. When it's over they say goodnight outside on her porch. Something unexpected happens.
:D
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Mandy managed to make some excuse to get Nikki on board with leaving the pool early before it closed. Having only been there for about two hours, they said their farewells to Steve and Nancy.
As they were leaving the pool Billy actually waved to her with his same eager grin all over his face. She waved back and gave a little wink at him catching him completely off guard which was not custom for her to do at all to any boy. She was shocking herself with how bold she was being towards him and imagined his face matched how she felt on the inside at doing it.
But Billy wasn't any boy. He was a boy who was planning on getting lucky tonight and being alone with her. She had no delusions about his false promise to keep his hands to himself knowing that was impossible for someone like him who overly appreciated the anatomy of the opposite sex.
"So, did he say anything to you?" Nikki asked while they were driving. She wanted all the juicy details of their meetup at the pool having missed it for herself to get food with their friends.
"Just his usual comments, really. Nothing important." Mandy semi frowned but tried to maintain a straight non guilty face.
She hated to lie and never really did as she was raised not to. It made her feel even more wrong to lie to her best friend. But she just knew if she told her what they talked about it would open a whole can of worms she did not want to try and put back into the can, wriggling, writhing, and impossible to sort out.
It would either make Nikki very angry with Billy over the supposed rumors or it would make her launch into a 'Mandy, I am going to give you a makeover tonight!' frenzied speech. She would be forced to try and explain to Nikki that it wasn't an actual date while she would have to sit in her room at the vanity for an hour or so as she dolled her up for Billy.
She would rather neither of those scenarios took place so she kept her silence on what she had planned for tonight. Mandy was laughing on the inside eager for Billy to show up and could only imagine how excited he must be getting as the time drew nearer.
Since the pool closed at seven and she reasoned it would take him roughly twenty minutes to drive home, at normal speed limit anyway, and then maybe another thirty minutes to an hour for him to get dressed and ready depending on his grooming rituals, he should be at her house by eight thirty or nine.
Perfect. The timing is just perfect. I can't wait to see the look on his face. She thought wickedly and grinned so wide Nikki was stealing side glances at her.
Tonight would be the most fun night ever she could possibly have with Billy and in her own home would be a safer setting. She sure hoped he was going to be good and ready and make himself look absolutely irresistable for her.
"Okay, something's up. Why won't you just tell me?" Nikki said dryly with a slight huff of angst at being left out. Mandy straightened up and put a normal innocent look on her face.
"Because, Nikki, there's nothing to tell." She tried to look sweet at her friend to make her believe her.
"Uh huh." Nikki eyerolled her and sighed slightly pouting.
"Okay. He asked me on a date. Like he has been all week that I have been ignoring. We had a disagreement and when he finally gave up he left." It was partly true. She could roll with that.
"But I saw him kissing your hand and looking happy when he left." Nikki smiled slyly sideways at her. She didn't miss a thing with her eagle eyes.
Damn. Ummmm...
Lying was hard because if you tell one lie you have to keep lying to keep it going and it just eventually snowballs out of control and eventually the truth comes out. Another reason Mandy hated lying.
"Right. Ummm. Well, you see..." Mandy tried to figure out how to explain that one. Nikki now kept her eyes on the road but she was seeing through her friends poor attempts to fib to her.
"You have a date with him tonight, don't you? Oh, God, that means he's gonna have to greet your folks. That means he's going to have to meet your dad!" Nikki laughed tapping her hands on her steering wheel highly amused at this.
Mandy sunk down in the seat not wanting to think about that part. Her father hated boys being over with her unless it was Alex or Tucker whom she trusted. If her dad knew about Tucker having a thing for her that would end real fast.
Nikki looked real proud of herself at piecing it altogether and imagining Mandy's father terrifying Billy. She had no idea that technically he already did because Mandy never told her about the welcome dinner party he attented with his family at their house.
"Your dad gonna roast him? I can just see it now. He brings down the rifle and begins cleaning it in front of Billy. Billy begins to second guess ever getting involved with you. And then BAM. Your problem is solved because your dad will scare him off just like all the other boys. Mission complete."
Nikki cackled at her own reply and was obviously picturing it all in her head.
It was wild how Nikki could spin an imaginary story out of barely any information and craft it better than any Dungeonmaster for board games or fantasy novel authors. Mandy always thought she would be perfect as a DM for Dungeons and Dragons but she never wanted to play the game with her and The Party whenever they went to Nancy's.
She said it was boring and for nerds and then said 'no offense, Mandy.' after her comment realizing her best friend was in fact a nerd. She had no idea just how much time and effort went into setting those things up or how fun they could be using one's imagination while playing it out. She just never bothered to try it so Mandy didn't pressure her to.
She often wondered what Nikki's character would be. With how much Nikki loved boys and kissing she imagined her to be an exotic elven tavern wench or perhaps a redheaded brothel girl or maybe a sexy succubus. She would no doubt put all her points in charisma and be a flirtatious hussy of a character on the board which might make all the Party members extremely grossed out or uncomfortable. Boys their age didn't think the way like Billy, Tommy, Tucker, and Alex did.
"Yeah, uhhh... look don't say anything, okay Nikki? I have plans and to talk about this will ruin them. You have to swear to me you won't speak of tonight with anyone." Mandy gave her friend her best serious 'swear on your mother's grave' look and Nikki held out her pinky while driving. It was the ultimate swear. It could not be broken.
Mandy accepted her pinky with her own and they locked them together making the deal.
"Well, here we are. Are you sure you don't want me to come up and..." Mandy quickly jumped out of the car and grabbed her stuff thanking her friend for the ride and the wonderful time at the pool.
"Okay... you're... welcome." Nikki trailed off sad her friend wouldn't let her deck her out for tonight but then shook her head laughing and waved driving off to her house. The sun was sinking fast so Mandy had very little time left to prepare before Billy would arrive.
Unlocking the door she walked in and shut it behind her smiling at how nicely she had set everything up tonight for her and Billy. She would make haste to shower, fix her hair up very sexy just the way he liked it, and find a decent good looking but modest outfit that she knew would totally get him going.
Tonight was going to be the best night ever and she hoped he would stay and finish it out with her.
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Parking the Camaro in the driveway Billy stepped out of it taking a slow drag on his cigarette. He looked up to the house across the road as he had done many times. Smirking he was completely happy with knowing he was finally getting his way with Mandy. She was finally coming around and warming up to him.
Thinking back on what she said about the rumors going around the school he somewhat grimaced as he ground out his cancer stick with his boot. It had to have been Tommy or Carol he was almost sure of it. Most likely Tommy was trying to block him from making any headway with Mandy.
He had noticed several times how undeniably lustful Tommy had looked at her and guessed he must have had a thing for shy nerds like Mandy. Perhaps he had a thing for her specifically for a lot longer than he knew since Tommy was around long before he was. Billy wondered if she and Tommy had possibly done anything together but he quickly forced that budding accusation out of his head.
Not only did it make him feel slightly jealous and possessive, but it also made him feel stupid for even thinking Mandy would hook up with someone like Tommy. Then again, here she was hooking up with someone like him. She confused him because he couldn't decide if she was a virgin tease or a loose girl playing the part of an innocent virgin to get guys hot to trot for her.
There were times he could swear she had not done much of anything with any guy and then moments where her undeniable flirty fiery self was shown to him that made him second guess that initial assumption. Like earlier at the pool when she had bit her finger at him, all the times she bit her own lip, or winking to him as he was up in the chair.
Just what was her game here that she was playing? Was she the type of girl to go steady for a while and then go all the way? Or would she string him along and never put out? He growled low in his throat deciding he would not let that become an option. He was going to seduce Mandy Hawkins and unleash her wild side for him one way or another. Tonight would be a great start.
Tearing his eyes away from the upper bedroom window that had its light on with the blinds closed he locked up his car and headed to the house. It was a Friday night so he imagined Maxine would have gotten a lift with Neil or Susan to the arcade or was hanging out with her nerdy little friends at one of their houses.
Susan's car was here but his father's Ford truck wasn't so they might be out together too for the night. Why didn't he just boldly invite Mandy to come over to his house where they could definitely be alone? Then he remembered that one of his father's strict rules was to never have a girl alone with him in his house and if he caught him there with one there would be hell to pay.
Billy frowned. Well, hopefully Mandy was alone tonight too at her house, otherwise why would she have invited him over to her place for a date to be together on the couch? She obviously had a movie night planned for the two of them. So tame, really,. He would rather take her out on the town and be wild and free with her. Maybe even do a bit of drinking or take her out to Lover's Lake for a makeout session hot and steamy in the back of his car. He closed his eyes picturing that and groaned softly.
Walking inside the house with all these fantasies going for the two of them he called out but no one answered. The house was dark and empty. Switching on his light in his room he quickly stripped out of his work clothes and wrapped a towel around himself. He would shower really good for her tonight and make sure he smelled even better for her for when they would get close on the couch. He wanted her mouth to water for him and for her to be completely helpless under his touch, his gaze, and his embrace.
After his shower he did his usual grooming in his room in front of his mirror. He styled and combed his curls plumping them up a bit teasing them and making them look fuller with a little more bounce while using his favorite Aqua-Net hairspray. For the scent to drive Mandy wild over him he misted some of his Estée Lauder Aramis cologne. He kept the bottle at a distance letting the mist settle gently onto his skin. Grinning he knew this scent would work great if he let it lightly coat his chest and wore one of his button down shirts open tonight.
Making an extra effort he lightly misted some towards his groin and stepped into it before putting on his tight denim Levi jeans and buckled his black leather belt.
Winking in the mirror at himself he blew smoke from his cigarette out of his nose and began practicing the lines he would use on her tonight. Shaking his head nothing he came up with felt like it would suit him to say to her. It felt too corny. Too forced. Maybe it would work on the other girls but Mandy was a smart cookie. She wouldn't fall for that.
As he stood before his reflection admiring how good his hair looked and how clean shaven he was around his mustache that he trimmed up, he looked deep into his own blue eyes.
"Mandy, you have a lovely home." He sighed.
That was lame.
"Mandy, you look absolutely... terrible. No, no, that's just terrible." Trailing off he wanted so desperately to come up with something more original all it's own just for her. Something to make her heart race for him.
"It's really nice to be here alone with you, Mandy. I've been thinking about you a lot lately." Closer to the truth, and while good, almost too sappy. He really could do better.
Jesus, why the hell can't I figure something suave to say to her? It's as if all I know about charming a girl is out the fucking window when it comes to her!
Turning from side to side in the mirror checking out his legs and ass in his denim jeans he smiled knowing at least he looked good for her. That was a very big start. To get Mandy where he wanted her half the battle was his looks and appearance and the other half was how smooth he could whisper things in her ear to make her panties drop. But it would not be easy.
He frowned thinking of how she had ignored him successfully for almost a full week making him feel so pitiful and desperate to hear her voice. Even if just to snap at him. He was angry about taking hits from his father over being wreckless in his moods because of her twisting him up around her finger.
It almost made him want to give her a revenge fuck for it before dropping her when he was done with her. He frowned at his negative thoughts and his bitterness shoving it aside not wanting to foul his mood up. She had said yes and was giving him a chance. So the pain had been worth it as long as she was going to be compliant with him and not ignore him anymore.
How can I possibly be whipped when I haven't even had it yet?
He sighed and lowered his head then looked once more in the mirror finishing off his cigarette and butting it. He would have to brush his teeth and tongue all over again to be fresh for her after smoking. Making sure he had his gum he tried again.
"Mandy, I want you so badly. No girl has ever done this to me before. I don't understand but I just have to have you, now. Come closer and let me hold you, rabbit."
Rabbit?
He blinked. It was perfect for her! She had these vicious claws when she would bite at him with her sass. She was soft and gentle when not mean to him. And she did her hair up in these long pigtails that almost looked like long soft rabbit ears hanging down her backside. Like a lop eared rabbit. He liked it. A pet name just for her.
"Rabbit, I..." No. He would never use the L word and lie with it to get in a girls pants. That was off the table and out of the question. He would think of something else. A better way to make her melt for him and into him. He just hoped when the time came he wouldn't be tongue tied, unless it was her tongue tied to his.
The thought of that made him shudder and put his body on vibrate for her. He felt himself getting semi erect and had to think other thoughts to cool himself down.
Putting on his black button down leaving it open a few buttons enough to show his chest and let her get a good bead on his scent he checked his hair one last time and then finally decided to grab his black leather jacket and keys to head over to her place.
Locking up the house he walked over across the street grinning like a moron obviously very excited for their first date together and jogged the rest of the way. The pleasant warm night making way for cooler temperatures felt good on his slightly bared chest.
Standing in front of the greenish mint colored door he wrapt his knuckles gently on the wooden surface and tried to contain his goofy grin putting on a serious and smoldering look for when she would answer. He had to play it cool and aloof and yet be romantic towards her. But he could never let her know just how happy and excited he was to see her, because even he didn't know why or understand it.
After a few knocks he was rewarded with her standing in front of him the door slightly ajar. He thought he heard voices but she came out and closed the door standing before him in all her oddly beautiful perfection.
She was dressed up in an off the shoulder black soft looking top with an equally dark black skirt that flowed just below her knees and she had on a black pair of sandal shoes. He admired her cute toes and her bare ankles unable to resist looking a little higher at her soft pale legs.
Once his eyes met hers again she was blushing slightly at how he was looking at her. She had her long feathery black hair down and it flowed all around her gracefully. Leaning in slightly he could smell she had actually put perfume on for him. It had the slight scent of vanilla and warm honey and it made him almost close his eyes when catching it on the light breeze outside.
"Hey, rabbit. Ready for our date? I've been thinking about you. You look absolutely mouth watering tonight."
As he leaned against the door frame with one arm closing the gap between them inching closer he saw her face scrunch up at his new name for her. Well, he thought it was cute. Apparently she didn't like it. He groaned inwardly at using partial truth of his feelings for her mixed with a cheesy pining statement. Could he be more fucking obvious to her?
"Okay..." She started just staring at him as if he was the world's worst date she could ever have and it almost made him blush at her in return.
"So, glad you could make it. We have the popcorn all set up and ready and the first movie is about to start. Come on in." She grinned at him and before he could put two and two together on what she said Mandy opened the door and took his hand pulling him gently inside.
He smelled very nice. An earthy wooded scent mixed with his leather jacket almost like an exotic fruity incense. It made her somewhat dizzy and the sight of his chest barely covered by his shirt made her stomach flutter.
He had obviously gone all out to look good for her and she in turn dressed nice for him. Tonight she would be just out of his reach knowing it would kill him every second of not being able to get close to her like she knew he wanted to.
"We?..." he started to ask as she pulled him inside before he could think or react.
Stepping inside, Billy looked around her living room noting how nice it was. Warm and cozy feeling like a proper home. This would only be the second time he had ever been here, the first time being the welcoming dinner that her parents had invited him and his "family" to in the middle of the week.
Mandy had ignored him at school but she couldn't be rude and ignore him much in front of her folks so she talked light that night keeping it civil but not personal with him. Neil had practically embarrassed him every chance he could when talking over the meal at the dinner table but he tried hard to ignore him and focus only on Mandy and her family.
When his eyes looked to the couch, the place where he wanted to cuddle and touch her, he saw it filled with her family sitting there instead. Mandy noticed the look on his face and seemed to grin wickedly. She was playing games again with him. Tonight wasn't a date of them being alone. Tonight was a family movie night and she had tricked him into being a part of it.
Her father looked at him with a slight frown at how he was so overdressed for his daughter most likely knowing in his thoughts what Billy had planned for her. But his plans would be foiled tonight as he would be forced to sit in the single chair of the living room while she sat on the couch with her family. She had done this on purpose. Just more teasing and keeping herself distant from him while making him want her as good as she looked and smelled tonight.
Her mother was the only one to give him a warm smile and greeting as her father sat rigid looking him up and down with distaste. He had been so nice at the dinner but now he was glaring daggers at him while trying to remain polite with a pinched expression on his face.
"Hello, Billy. So nice to have you!" Her mom said in a very happy and content manner.
Her eyes said it all. She approved of him and liked when he was over feeling he was good for her daughter. It made him feel guilty at some of the thoughts he was having about Mandy but he smiled back greeting her regardless of how off she may be about him and his intentions.
"Hargrove. Nice to see you again. Have a seat. There's popcorn on the table and some soda if you would like."
Rick's tone was edgy but when her mother put her hand on his arm he had to soften it up and be more friendly, very much against his will.
Mandy laughed and closed the door locking it behind them as Billy took his seat. When he sat in the chair she came over to him and winked without her parents seeing and could see he was very lost about tonight being the opposite of what he expected it to be.
She leaned over purposefully giving him a small show of her cleavage from the top handing him a can of soda of his choosing. He looked up at her with a disappointed look but she feigned innocence and ignorance as if she did not know the source of his ire. She sat down next to her father and snuggled into him as he gave her a bear hug.
Billy could see the love her family had for her and it made him feel sort of warm inside at the sight of it. It was something foreign to him he was not used to getting for himself. He almost envied her.
"Movie night. Wonderful! I'm thrilled, thank you." He said trying to smile with a very polite chipper tone and remain every inch the gentleman her parents thought him to be.
Great. This is going to be a loooooong night. Billy thought sourly, despite his admiration for all of them, but still trying to keep his charming smile not wanting to be any less in front of her parents.
"Mom, dad, I'm going to go into the kitchen real fast. I will be right back. I'll get the napkins, butter, and salt in case someone wants extra on theirs and some extra bowls." Her father nodded and Billy stood up when she did.
"Do you need help? I don't mind." Billy offered eagerly, most likely wanting this chance to be with her alone to speak to her about her dirty trick and move in close to her without the eyes of her parents on them.
Her father practically jumped up in hasty protest but once more his wife calmed him and gave him a look as if to warn him to leave them alone. She guessed that since they were both here with them there was nothing Billy could possibly do that would make her father want to toss him out on his ass. He was a very protective father and he picked up on that right away upon their first meeting. Mandy was his little girl and Billy was a threat to that.
"Dear, let them be." Katherine said softly. She had Mandy's little brother, Calvin, laying in her lap and was tousling his curly sandy brown hair with her fingers. The kid looked sort of worn out already but kept his eyes open for the movie while sucking on his thumb. Seeing her loving on him so intimately, Billy froze while watching the almost familiar sight. It made him think of things from long ago and far away. Another time when he had been in that same comfortable position with someone very close to him. Someone who was no longer in his sordid life.
Billy felt a pang of sadness, a deep mysterious sorrow, he hadn't felt in a long time. It came out of nowhere and he swallowed it and the memory both down that it had invoked within him. He couldn't deny that her little brother was a sweet kid, despite him not liking children, and he looked very happy.
He almost reminded Billy of his younger more innocent self and he had to look away and harden his heart a little bit. It felt like something he had no right to see as emotions that toiled within him were fluxuating.
"Sure. Follow me." Mandy smiled pleasantly and lead the way to the kitchen even though he already knew where it was. She was already anticipating what he might say to her and was still feeling pretty proud of herself for this one. He stared at her following slowly behind thinking of just how he should approach this.
He could hear her parents having a firm discussion with one another as they sat there waiting for them to return. Walking into the kitchen he watched her grab the items she said she would from the cupboards and he leaned on the kitchen counter that was the center piece of the room.
"A date, huh?" He started with. She was pretending to ignore his frustration as she continued getting the bowls and napkins. Reaching for the butter from the fridge retrieving it silently she then grabbed the salt shaker on the spice rack as he tried again.
"I had hoped we would have been... alone together tonight. Wasn't that the plan? I can't help but feel you roped me into this one and it wasn't very nice of you, princess."
He chose his words carefully not wanting to upset her in front of her family or spoil even what little of a night he could have with her. After going a week without her, barring the dinner, he was sorely content to even have this sliver of hope and the time he had been given.
She turned around smiling at him sweetly not letting his displeasure get to her one bit.
"Whatever do you mean? Billy, if I recall correctly, although you said date you also said I could pick the time and place of my choosing and you would show up to be there. Remember?"
He shut his mouth and stared at her craftiness in disbelief. She was way more tricky and intelligent than he had originally given her credit for. Somehow she managed to use his own words against him fitting in her little scheme as if it hadn't violated that at all. He nodded slowly trying to stay sweet on her with his voice and his expression.
"You're right. I did. But a date means just two people alone together for a romantic evening does it not?" He countered back grinning playing his usual mental and verbal chess with her.
"Maybe. But a movie night is a movie night regardless of who is present and I consider that a date by the standard definition. And what could be more romantic then spending an evening indoors watching cult classic movies ranging from horror, to comedy, to even... a romance film later on?"
He listened to her going on while he rubbed his face and tried to be patient. It was clearly irritating him but he was trying to be civil with her and not get too worked up. All his hopes smashed he felt helpless but what could he do? He was here. She was right. He would have to deal.
"I picked my favorite for that one. The classic 1968 Romeo and Juliet film since that's what we are studying in English together. I think it will be very beneficial for you." She perked up cornering him again with her own sense of logic and he rolled his eyes covering his face with his hands making her giggle at him as they moved out of the kitchen and back to the living room.
Great. So not only did she trick him into spending time with her entire family, she also found a way to make tonight about homework and their class studies. Fantastic.
Following her back into the living room he took his spot in the single chair and had his bowl of popcorn in his lap while he folded one long leg over his knee. He decided to just roll with the punches and settle himself in getting comfortable. Mandy sat in between her parents next to Calvin often sneaking glances at him grinning deviously as she ate and drank.
He watched the popcorn as she put it to her lips and noted how lovely and plump her mouth was. He had wanted to put his mouth all over her there and now he felt that just wasn't going to be an option. Inside he was dying as he watched her lick the salt from her lips with her warm soft pink tongue.
Every time she looked at him and he looked back at her, her father noticed and looked at him eyeing him something feirce. It made Billy reglue his eyes back to the television set to watch the movie not wanting to make him angry over staring at his daughter or ruin their night.
Calvin was a chatty child and laughed often at the funny parts of the movie. Her family did too but talked less. Mandy tried to focus on the films but she often found her eyes wandering over to Billy. He looked handsome in the soft glow of the t.v. light and at one point she noticed he actually started getting really into the movies.
She admired his strong chest and his amazing sense of fashion. He somehow knew to pick the best outfits that would showcase his beautiful Adonis like body and it made her mouth go dry the more she noticed. She blamed it on the popcorn of course and began drinking her soda trying to allieviate her cotton mouth desperately.
They went through old gangster films, comedy films relevant to their time like "Police Academy" and "Beverly Hills Cop", to family animated classics like "The Muppets Take Manhatten" and "Frankenweenie" for Calvin.
The more he watched and settled in the more her family, even her father, seemed to warm up to him and get more relaxed. Billy was relaxed too and not as high strung or confused as he was earlier.
When all the popcorn was gone Billy went with her into the kitchen to make a second round for them all and they actually a had decent conversation about the movies with lighthearted joking and laughter. She liked the way he laughed and when he was sincere with his smiles.
When the horror movies were playing, her parents put Calvin to bed much to his near tantrum protests. He always wanted to see the scary monsters and watch what the adults were watching to be a part of it but they never let him. He was still prone to nightmares and bed wetting. Eventually he settled down and went to sleep upstairs, only coming down each time he asked for a glass of water just to keep himself awake and to be with them in the den. They would simply pause the movie until he was put back in bed.
It made Mandy smile and look at Billy in a whole new light when he actually walked Calvin into the kitchen a few times getting the glass of water for him and sending him off to bed. He did this so she and her family wouldn't have to be interrupted constantly. He had smiled at Calvin when talking him into finally staying asleep, even teaching him how to knuckle bump fists with him and making her little brother smile.
Her heart fluttered at the sight before her. He was actually surprisingly good with kids despite him putting on a show of his dislike of them at the pool. This was his private side. His soft side he never showed in public. She felt priviledged to see it. Why was it so hard for him to be like this all the time? It hurt her heart that he didn't show this part of himself more often.
"Calvin seems to really like you." Mandy said while taking a bite of her popcorn. Her parents looked tired and yet mildly disturbed by the horror flicks. Billy looked at her and nodded slowly but stone faced not wanting to admit he may just have a soft spot for the six year old.
"Yeah. He's a pretty cool kid himself. Mouthy. He reminds me of someone I know..." He said grinning devilishly at her as she threw some popcorn at him then moving his gorgeous eyes back to the teen slasher flick that Mandy had picked out. He had to admit, she had good taste in horror cinema.
Eventually, her father was yawning and stretching ready for bed himself. This wasn't a movie night. This was a movie marathon or extravaganza. It would seem he had his fill of it.
He looked between the two of them nervously not really wanting to retire for the night and leave them alone in the living room together. But after Katherine talked him into it saying they would be fine and were not really alone, he agreed and said goodnight to Mandy while gruffly ignoring Billy so as to keep his cool. He kissed her cheek softly while looking at the dangerously good looking boy and Mandy smiled returning the sentiment to both her parents.
Katherine gave her a hug and told her if they needed anything they would be right upstairs sleeping. Her father reiterated this with a stern tone while looking at Billy. He swallowed hard almost choking on some of his popcorn not missing the point. It was a clear message that he was to keep his hands off his daughter and if he caught him doing it he would kill him.
Billy locked eyes with him nodding seriously. As badly as he wanted to touch Mandy he would have to be a gentleman and be very careful not to cross any boundaries in an overly sensual way. Cuddling wasn't an offense was it? How about slight nuzzling? Holding hands? Putting his arm around her? He hadn't really done such vanilla tame stuff with a girl in a long time since he was a nervous preteen on his first date. But if he wanted to get close to her while surviving her father, he supposed he would have to.
"Goodnight, mom. Goodnight, dad." Mandy caught her father's look.
"Daddy, I'll be fine. Get some sleep. We're just going to watch one more movie and then Billy will go home. Right, Billy?"
She said grinning from ear to ear thoroughly enjoying his torment of having not been able to touch her or get close to her all night. Now would be his chance but should she shoot him down or should she allow him to close in on her a bit and then pull away to further cement her teasing of him? He sort of deserved it for all the times he made her feel so anxious around him and teased her right back.
"Absolutely. Yes, sir. Just one flick and I'll be turning in for the night." He complied with an honest looking face to her father who grunted deeply and made his way up the steps with his wife as she laughed at his overbearing protective nature.
Katherine whispered they would be just fine to her father as they left the room to go to bed. Mandy's mother knew she wasn't stupid and could handle herself when it came to boys and life decisions. She could definitely handle Billy. Right?
"Alright. So, let me just change out the tape here and then you can finally see the story come to life on the big screen." Mandy exclaimed cheerfully.
Billy sighed slightly rolling his beautiful blue eyes but he smiled at her definitely watching as she bent over a bit in front of him while searching the entertainment shelf to switch the tapes out on the VHS player. It took all his restraint not to want to reach out and grab a handful of that cute round butt of hers and he slapped his own hand over it playfully without her noticing. He felt himself getting a bit tight in his jeans as he shifted on the couch while staring.
When she finished and popped the right tape in she came over to stand near him grabbing the remote off of the living room table and pressed play to start the movie.
Billy looked up at her patting the couch cushion gently next to himself feeling a little more brave now that her parents weren't in the room. She looked down at him warily as if deciding if she wanted to sit there or not.
"Come join me?" He said looking up at her with a sly slow smirk forming.
"Will you behave?" She said back to him almost grinning too but trying to look serious.
"I'll... do my best?" It was a semi decent compromise. As long as he didn't go under her clothes or put his roaming hands in places she didn't like, she supposed she could snuggle up to him on the couch during the film. There was no harm in that.
She nodded slowly and he could see the shy tension in her eyes as she sat down and made herself comfortable once more. He put his arm around her shoulder in one slick move and rested his hand lightly on the side of her arm. He was gently stroking the skin of her soft lean bicep below the cut shoulder of her top with his fingers while looking at the television and the opening credits.
Mandy's heart was beginning to leap and pound faster in her chest as she breathed in his smell fully enveloping her. He smelled so good she couldn't deny he had great taste in cologne and aftershave.
"Rabbit?" Billy said trying to talk to her addressing her with that ridiculous nickname. She humored it anyway and had no idea why.
"Yes?" Was all she said as she tried to focus on her popcorn and the movie and less on him, his powerful warm arm around her and his face so close to hers while she slightly laid her head on the side of his chest. She was nestled in the crook of his arm quite comfortably.
"Thank you." Was all he said. Just a simple two word sentence that held volumes of meaning and emotion in them.
"For what?" She looked up at him and turning his head to looking down at her and he just stared at her for a few minutes enjoying the feel of her against him. He looked into her emerald eyes and sighed down softly to her.
"For this." Mandy wasn't sure if he meant inviting him over for the movies or for actually being willing to allow him to hold her close.
"You're... you're welcome." She smiled up at him and a very strong emotion seemed to flicker in his gorgeous baby blue's as he looked at her soft fair face.
For a moment he began to lean his head down closer moving his lips almost to hers and at the last moment before their lips connected she dodged the kiss and turned her head to the side. He got her cheek instead and the stroking of her arm got more and more teasing as he nuzzled down into her neck and hair. She felt him breathe in her scent and she nervously munched on her popcorn. She had to stop eating when he began kissing her there. She let out a soft moan accidentally. He grinned against her warm skin as his lips grazed along her soft throat slowly.
As soon as they heard her father clear his own throat coming into the kitchen for something they both jumped and were eyes forward to the screen as if they hadn't just been necking in the dark.
Once her dad was done getting whatever it was he came to get as an excuse to spy on them and went back upstairs they both let out a slow sigh of relief.
Talking about the movie as they watched it Mandy went into the deeper subjects and themes of the characters and Billy actually nodded listening.
Once it was over with them only being interrupted a few times by her hovering father, her mother shouting at him to get his rear end back upstairs and in bed, they were laughing each time her mother commandeered him to let them be.
Turning off the television Mandy smiled and stretched then got up from cuddling with Billy. He almost looked sad to see her separate from him and they both walked nervously to her front door to go outside.
"I... I had a great time tonight. So, thank you, Billy." Mandy said smiling softly up at him and blushing as they stood saying goodbye for the evening.
"Me too, rabbit. Me too. But I still want to take you on a REAL date. Just you and I. That is, if you will have me..." He trailed off and she suddenly felt brave looking into his soft and gorgeous face taking in all of his features as he stood slightly looming over her.
Leaning in she softly kissed his cheek smelling his pleasantly scented aftershave and then moved her lips slowly and softly his neck for one little peck with her lips. He closed his eyes freezing very still with his hands in his pockets. He was dangerously tempted to turn her face to him by gently grabbing her chin to seal the night with a soft kiss but he decided not to and to let her do what she wanted at her own pace. He tried not to make any noises that would give him away but his breath did hitch slightly only once before she stopped and pulled away.
"Maybe. If you keep being nice to me I might consider it." Her playful smile and bright dancing green eyes made him stare at her for a minute.
What am I doing? This is so not good. I'm going to wind up leading him on. I should stop this now... before... we...
Mandy flushed when he turned his blue eyes to her longingly and he placed his hand underneath her soft chin. He tilted her head up to him and moved a bit closer, licking his lips slowly and wetting them for her. He was so close his breath was fanning her lips and was mingling with her own.
"I really want to kiss you, Mandy. May I?" His voice was deep, carnal, but still soft and sweet. She felt her knees go weak and everything spin slowly. He was so close he could take it. But would he? Or would he wait for her to answer?
They stayed like that for a moment just breathing each other in and feeling their breath mingling together. In one instant she knew she wanted him to. She slowly nodded and he smiled going the rest of the way in.
When his warm soft lips met hers she instantly melted into him when he put his arms around her and pressed them on the small of her back. His firm chest pressed against her soft one. Their body heat rising between them as they stood there. He kissed her softly moving his lips over hers with a gentle need she could both feel and understand. Her lower lip trembled slightly as he took her mouth with his barely parting her lips with his tongue but doing no more than that. Her stomach was on fire for him as he kissed her slow and senseless in the warm night air.
It was Mandy's first kiss. Billy most likely had no idea despite how nervous she was. Her first kiss ever in her entire life with anyone. And she had just given it to Billy Hargrove, of all people.
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That night Mandy had went to bed full of questions. Questions she couldn't give answers to for herself no matter how hard she tried. Running her fingers over the place where Billy had kissed her she kept feeling it. It had been a strange sensation that took her completely by surprise and it wasn't letting up anytime soon. Her mouth felt like his was still there, gently carressing her own and tasting her, teasing her, with the tip of his warm tongue.
She sighed and closed her eyes enjoying the afterglow that still stayed with her. He was so amazing at it. If he was that good of a kisser, better than all the other boys, she wouldn't truly know since she had nothing else to compare it to. So she settled to believe he was simply more experienced and imagined him to be the best kisser of the entire school. With his track record of all the girls he must have been with, it wouldn't be too farfetched of an assumption.
His eyes. They were full of something I've never before seen when he leaned in to me. He had waited. He had been patient. He had asked for the kiss. Why?
She pondered on this and found herself smiling in the dark of her room as she lay in bed trying to get to sleep. His eyes had looked so gently into hers and he wasn't being forceful with her like he usually tried to be at school. This was all new to her and it sort of frightened her. If he could get her to kiss him without having any inhibitions to stop it then what else would he be able to tempt her into? She found herself losing all her self control around him and it terrified her.
It can't happen again. It wouldn't last long anyway. He will just find some other girl after he tires of me. I wasn't his first nor would I be his last ever in his lifetime. Tucker had more right to my first kiss than Billy ever did so why did I allow him to be the one to have it tonight after holding out for someone special all these years? I'm so stupid.
Her heart hurt deeply at this realization. She almost felt a stab of guilt for giving away so freely the one thing her best friend Tucker had wanted when he tried to kiss her in her room that night and then carelessly handing it over on a silver platter to Billy after one night of him showing her he could be soft and tender. Right after telling Tucker she wanted nothing to do with him or Hargrove she violated her own decision by allowing Billy to get too close to her and being fooled by his good boy act.
It was clear Billy was more in control of things than she was and she was stupid to believe she would make all the decisions. She couldn't help herself when around him. This thing between them was getting far beyond her normal comfort zone and she wanted to go back to ignoring him again.
She knew that ignoring Billy not letting him get any closer to her would definitely hurt and confuse him after what they shared tonight. Honestly she felt maybe it would be better that way. She would only wind up hurt in the end if he switched back to Tina or finding other girls to date and fool around with leaving her in the cold once he had his fun with her. She refused to be an option to him not expecting to ever be a priority.
Finally managing to calm herself down enough and accept what had happened, she rolled over and went to bed hoping for a dreamless sleep that didn't involve Billy haunting her subconscious as she slept. Mandy would never admit it or tell anyone but she had been having some rather deeply personal dreams about him and she just wanted them to stop.
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Billy lay awake in his room with his headphones in and music playing on his walkman. He was listening to his favorite mix tape that he made a long time ago for his cruising around California when his Camaro was brand new and just bought for him.
The sports car had been a sweet sixteen present to him from his mother, wherever she was at the time of setting it up, who apparently wanted her son to have a vehicle and not be trapped anywhere without transportation as he got older. Most likely she wanted him to be able to escape Neil and what she knew he did to him while also enabling him to see the world if he had so decided to.
Maybe even a part of her hoped he would use it to find her and come see her one day. He never did. He opted to forget about her and try to erase her along with all his memories of her from his mind. The car became a symbol of his freedom but even then he was as chained down to Neil's tight control and abuse regardless of having it.
Billy had been hesitant to accept the gift originally because of his bitterness towards her for leaving him all alone with his hateful demonic father. Many nights he had cried over that fateful day. The telephone call shattering his world that his mother was never coming home and was moving on without him leaving him behind. His whole life he lived both fearing and expecting anyone and everyone to abandon him eventually just like she did. He never bothered to get close to anyone nor would he open up and share his grief and his past.
The funds were passed on successfully to him through his father and while Neil could have taken the money for himself for his new life with his wife and step daughter, he had actually done the right thing and helped Billy pick out the Camaro RS from the lot. He had paid for it in full allowing them to take it from the dealership bringing it home at first with the title and deed in Neil's name.
Despite all the crap he put his son through he had actually taken the time to teach him how to drive it. Neil had helped him pass his California driver's test and get his learner's permit. He had spent hours and weeks driving with his old man as a licensed driver until he was able to get his own license and drive on his own. When that happened the car's title and deed passed to Billy putting it in his own name making it official.
Once that was accomplished he allowed him to have his outings with the car so he could focus more on Susan and Max and his brand new shiny life with them and not so much with Billy, his own flesh and blood, unless it was to hit him or degrade him and use the car to control him even more.
Billy could only guess the beatings got worse because now his mother was gone and Neil's son was a constant reminder of her and that failed former life so long ago. Neil's son looked more like his mother than his father so to look at Billy growing up was to look into the eyes and face of his ex wife, whom he once loved, that he had also abused and drove away. It was a face he would never be able to forget so long as Billy lived and breathed under his roof.
The constant physical punishment from his father and how Neil favored his new wife and step daughter over his own child of course made him act out even more over time as the years went by cementing in the damage and rage. Acting out in school and when going to parties with his new gained equally wreckless bad seed friends.
Of course, his old man didn't let him go out and do whatever he wanted whenever, nor did he allow him to get into that car without setting rules before hand. The more Neil's abuse picked up with him even in front of Susan and an even younger Max the less Billy obeyed his father's rules and became more and more wild and careless with the car.
At one point he didn't care if he crashed it or even died in a wreck because all he thought of was his earth shattering hatred for both of his parents. Greif made way for anger and anger for emptiness until he made himself cold inside to everyone, even those he considered a friend. Slowly over time the pain and hatred he felt for Neil from the beginning began to bleed into his feelings for his own mother, the one thing he loved more than anything in this world, and that is when he started bullying kids at his old high school and making shady connections with other kids as messed up as he was.
It's also when he started the illegal drag racing and pitting his mother's gift against other people's cars. The high from it at one point was the only thing he could feel as adrenaline coursed through him setting fire to his veins. It gave him a rush and made him feel powerful, helping to block out all the agony and misery of his troubled home life.
It had been fun and a great way to blow off steam. Until getting caught during a race over a girl with her jealous boyfriend by the Santa Monica Police Department and spending the night in jail until his livid father came to pick him up. It had finally been his undoing and the end of his stability of being able to stay on the West Coast. It had forced Neil's hand to relocate them to Hawkins, Indiana far to the East where his son could not accrue much of a criminal record with more laid back policeman living in a town where barely anything happened to anyone.
Neil had claimed they needed a change and to start over anyway with their new family but he knew it had been done to further control his son's random and unpredictable wild acts of self destruction. To reign him in even more in a place where he could not thrive or have much space to run free or get into more trouble. In a boring sleepy town with not much to do full of dead ends Neil knew he would party but would be forced to play ball or else risk going before a judge to do hard time.
Listening to the tape always brought back the sordid mixture of memories about all of his past, the history of how he got to where he was now, and the gift she gave him despite him loving his music. It was a double edged sword. On one hand it soothed his savage soul and on the other it brought on long forgotten emotions he did not want to remember at any cost. As did the Camaro each time he climbed into the driver's seat or looked at it parked motionless begging him to race it into oblivion. How many times had he planned on crashing it just to try and take himself out with it from his miserable empty existance, he lost count.
But there it stayed. Always ready to ride. And no gift in the world could absolve his mother of the heartache and broken sense of being she caused in him the day she walked out of his life forever. She was weak just as Neil had said she was and like hell would he follow in her footsteps. Doing what she did brought on more pain and suffering than Neil had ever dealt to him with his fists over the years and would never be topped by anything else he would ever feel from that moment onward.
The car funds were not so much a present as a guilty attempt to reconcile for leaving him all alone in his damaged world with her no longer able to fight for him and protect him. The first of very little few presents she gave him over the years as they grew further and further apart emotionally on top of physically.
The last gift being the Catholic necklace, a Saint said to watch over travelers, that he constantly wore about his neck. Sometimes to remember her while wearing it made it feel as if it were burning a hole into his chest and melting his heart like wax.
Stuck with two reminders of her constantly with him forever despite how he hardened his will steeling it against daring any thoughts or feelings of her, he kept them as a reminder to never love or trust anyone ever again with his heart, soul, or his body.
At first he kept them out of love, now he acknowledges he keeps them out of spite. She was as dead to him as he was to himself and everyone else, although he still kept them secretly and painfully half cherishing them as much as he did the small photo album she mailed to him that sat in an old shoe box buried in his closet for years. After the move it rested buried in his new closet never to see the light of day.
He often thought of burning all of the pictures away so he would never have to be tempted to see her face as long as he lived. It pained him to look at the photographs of the two of them together laughing and smiling, so he stopped opening it up. He hid it away as if it were a dirty secret knowing that to look at her was to remember and to remember was to open up his wounds for further hemmorhaging.
Shifting himself back into his emotionless void he no longer wanted to feel his heart begin to race and ache, his blood pressure to rise, and the discomfort of these feelings resurfacing more than he could bear. Instead he concentrated on the music without the painful memories attached to it and let it all burn away.
Song after song and soon he was back to being numb again. Listening to a little bit of Motley Crue, Metallica, Ratt, and Scorpions and other rock legends he enjoyed over the years when learning his taste in music. Normally he liked fast hardcore thrashing metal but the classics were good too although slower and with less screaming and angst than he cared for.
He was pleasantly surprised and shocked when Great White's "Save All Your Love" suddenly came on. He didn't remember putting that song on the track list but apparently he did because here it was playing in his ears and making him think of only one person that had been on his mind a lot lately. As he laid there listening to it he felt every word of the lyrics deep inside of himself and it brought about the stirrings of something he never knew he could feel. Need. A sort of sadness longing to be free of it.
For a moment he had half a mind to change it and go to the next one but his finger stayed on the skip button in hesitation and he let it play out. Every song he listened to somehow found a way to remind him of Mandy but this one especially got to him. He felt the sting of tears welling up in the corner of his eyes as he recalled a trip to the beach long ago with someone who had long flowing blonde hair and a light gentle laugh. It also made him think of clear green sparkling eyes and a tenderness long forgotten. He could almost hear a lighter more melodic female voice singing the words but the crashing over waves overtook it and drowned it out.
Normally he wouldn't listen to such sappy love songs even if they were rock songs, but he found himself closing his eyes to this one and just feeling the music as each note struck a chord within him and he felt every word Jack Russell belted out. It almost pained him with how bittersweet they were to his ears while laying still in the dark. He swallowed the oncoming tears and felt a lump in his throat. He let his emptiness drive it away and changed his thoughts to something else to help him forget the fading memory.
Instead he focused on Mandy's face and how she looked tonight. Remembering his kiss with her outside with the crickets and cicadas seranading them both he sighed and recalled how it felt to put his mouth to hers. He remembered how his tongue had traced and memorized the shape of her lips barely parting them to her inner sweetness to go further. He could almost taste the salt of the popcorn mixed with the sweetness of her lipgloss and ran his tongue over his lips on instinct while fondly recalling every second of how he kissed her.
She had been so warm and tender in his arms and pressed against his searching mouth. He loved the way she felt in his arms and it made him frown to recall the sudden sense of withdrawl and loss he felt when she was no longer in them. It was almost painful parting with her having to walk across the street back to where he couldn't touch her or breathe her in.
This was getting deeper than he had ever intended it to. It was getting to the point where he couldn't imagine himself not being around her or being able to touch her. Seriously questioning how his motives to simply sleep with her had somehow morphed into a slight infatuation with her, he grumbled a bit and groaned in his bed. He should have known things were approaching dangerous territory when she began invoking within him emotions long since surpressed and buried.
Emotions and feeling as if he belonged, being close to someone, and caring about someone in his life. Feelings of when he often caught himself thinking of her like this alone in the dark of his room. He recalled her fair face and her brilliant green eyes as they had sparkled for him playfully. Her eyes had shown him everything he needed to know when he closed in on her for that first kiss with her.
It felt different than any other kiss he had ever before shared with anyone. It had been gentle. Patient. Soft and inviting. Not hungry or carnal as all the others have been in his lifetime. It shocked him that he didn't just take it from her, as he was want to do with other girls, but rather that he asked for it first. A move that just wasn't like him at all. When had he ever asked for anything from a girl that he couldn't just talk his way into them giving it up or would simply go for it already feeling he owned and deserved it?
But Mandy had said yes. She had given him permission. And despite how slow and easy she went with it, almost as if afraid of him yet while sharing that intimacy, she had wanted it as bad as he did and closed her eyes while doing it. He watched her for a few seconds into the kiss and how she responded to him.
He caught the trembling of her lips shy and uncertain against his skilled ones full of intent and passion as his mouth overtook hers but he held back. He didn't kiss her like he had all the other girls because he could feel from her this was her first time. Her first kiss. He somehow knew because of how nervous she was when his lips locked with hers. So, keeping his tongue on a short leash he only just barely allowed it to explore not really seeking entrance into her mouth the first time.
Deep inside of himself he felt things waking up. He felt the numbness wearing off. All of his internal layers that matched Mandy's outer ones were slowly being stripped away day by day the more time he spent with her and wanting her. This would not end well. Perhaps he should push her away and stop this before it went too far.
Before he fell asleep the last thing he saw was her bright green beautiful eyes and for a moment he heard his mother's voice whispering something to him he had not heard from many years ago. Three little barely audible words inside the back of his mind and he shook them off rolling over to let sleep claim him while enveloped in the darkness and attempting to be numb once more. He had to stop letting Mandy control his thoughts and awaken his heart to something he knew could never be.
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