That cobalt blue Camaro was a curse to Elizabeth Marx. Nothing surprises her anymore. After being subjected to emotionally withdrawn parents, torture, experimentation, and monstrosities from another world what could really be left to get under her skin? Billy fucking Hargrove, that's what. That asshole drove into the high school parking lot like he owned the damn place and if that wasn't bad enough, every girl in school seemed to drop every sense of self-worth they possessed just for a chance to be near him. It was pathetic, really. Nevertheless, Elizabeth was cordial enough for the sake of her grades within the classes they shared together until she became friends with his little sister. The poor girl needed her more than she realized when she saw the wild look in her step-father's eyes narrowing over the image of her mother as he struggled to calm himself in her presence one day when Max had brought her home after school to have her help with her homework. From that moment on, she made it her mission to stay close to Max. Whether that meant staying near her dickhead of a brother or having her stay with her and El at Chief Hopper's cabin was completely dependent on how much Billy decided to dance on her last nerve that day. Was the man cute? She supposed so in a superficial way, when he kept his mouth shut his sky-blue eyes could almost make her melt when combined with the shy smile and breathy laugh he let slide whenever he lowered his tone enough to speak only to her in a room full of people, but most of the time he'd ruin it with some shitty comment. It was crazy to her how someone so fundamentally pretty could be such a raging douchebag and yet be tripping over whatever it was he was asking for at that moment as if everyone around him would die to see that he had it. Her irritation in him only seemed to fuel his innately dumb reasoning in being as close to her as possible as if he thrived on watching her squirm as a toddler does to their sibling. The thought made her roll her eyes and yet she secretly enjoyed the back-and-forth banter between them as if they had entered some silent agreement to see who could piss off the other first. It quickly became a game to either piss the other off or bring as bright red of a blush to their cheeks as possible. For him, that was his favorite way to torment her. His shameless flirting was nauseating knowing he let it flow so effortlessly with any woman he found even remotely attractive within a ten-mile radius. But she wasn't so easy and admittedly liked watching the cocky spark in those lapis eyes of his dwindle out into an irritated ember of dashed dreams. Tonight would be no different.
"Where's your sister?" His father, Neil, calls from down the hall after nonchalantly passing by his son's room. Billy groans silently to himself, rolling his eyes at the reflection the mirror across from him cast back at him.
"She's staying over at the Chief's house with those freaks." He calls, sliding his silver ring down his finger. "Jesus, doesn't Susan keep track of her daughter? Why the fuck is that my job?" He huffs to himself under his breath, shifting to the side as he clasps his earring into place. Despite preferring to wear the small hoop for school due to basketball practice, he rather enjoyed the way the dangling silver spike shined in contrast to the black glass beads that were stacked down the chain above it.
"You should be nicer to that girl, Billy. She's a good influence on Max. She could be for you too." Susan pipes up from the kitchen as he rushes from his room, through the living room to retrieve his leather jacket and keys, and through the small dining room he turned into a gym by the door.
"I'm not Max." He grumbles to himself in irritation, flinching when his father smacks him on the back of the head.
"The girl might be able to teach you manners, boy. Watch out for her. If anything happens to her, we don't know what Maxine could get herself into." He barks, making a show of straightening his son's necklace as an excuse to tug him closer.
"That girl picks up your slack so play nice. I won't have you getting in the way of their happiness again. Do I make myself clear?" He hisses in his ear, pushing Billy away from him as he mutters in agreement. It had been months since the family uprooted across the country and Max's little friend quickly became a favorite amongst their parents, but why the hell it was his job to watch out for this girl was beyond him. She was his age, seen hanging out with Max and her group of young friends and yet he's the only one worried about that? At that thought, and the nickname Max had given her of her being like an older sister when she wouldn't even acknowledge him being her stepbrother, he hated the idea of how close Max had inherently become to the King of Hawkins High. Between him and the social experiment that was Elizabeth Marx, he thought he may have moved into an episode of The Twilight Zone. One he desperately needed to get the hell out of, but until then he'd make his days more enjoyable by teasing the hell out of that girl. It was entertaining to him how he seemed to be the only one to receive that edge in her tone.
He'd never admit it aloud, but he liked the way her oceanic eyes darkened dangerously when her own arrogance consumed her. The confidence that flooded her made the smirk that quirked the edges of her full lips that much more alluring. He had seen the softer side of her, watching her care for Max and the kids that she came with as gently as she could, but it was the way those dept fingers put him at ease after a fight with his father that secretly made him addicted. It was fascinating to him how their little game of cat and mouse never crossed into the time she spent hidden in his room helping him calm down after Neil took another crack at his manhood. No matter how ruthless the two could be to each other, whether that be in their flirtations or the playful insults to bring his ego back down to Earth, she never batted an eye at his weakness. Even when that weakness scared him and he snapped at her. She took it with grace as if it never passed his lips and continued to help him. In a way, as much as he hated to admit it even to himself, she kept him sane. In that aspect, he actually wouldn't mind looking out for the girl if it meant keeping her close. It was confusing, the way she made him feel, and yet it was refreshing how she never shied away from him or tripped over her jaw to get to him like every other girl in town.
Later that night, from within the Halloween party, Elizabeth could hear the boisterous cheers from the front lawn. It'd be a miracle if the cops weren't called for a noise complaint tonight. For the time being, she tried her best to include Nancy and Steve in her group as everyone danced to the booming music. For a while, everything seemed normal. Nancy and Steve were even smiling and dancing like their altercation with the demogorgon never happened. It was nice, while it lasted, but was ultimately short-lived once Billy had his fill of attention from the audience he accumulated on the front lawn.
"Harrington!" Tommy Hagan and his idiot friends call from their train behind Billy as he stalks his way through the crowd toward them. "There's a new Keg King, eat it Harrington." He laughs, clapping Billy on the back as he takes a drag off his cigarette. Nancy excuses herself to get herself a drink, leaving Elizabeth to help fend off Steve's old friends by herself.
"And?" Steve chuckles arrogantly. Elizabeth rolls her eyes and sighs, leaning back against the wall in her tie-dyed tights. The beaded fringe of her vest shifted along with her movements as she crossed her arms over, pulling her wide-rim psychedelic sunglasses to the edge of her nose as her go-go boots squeaked silently under the shift in her weight.
"Aren't you supposed to be with my sister?" Billy asks as he sidesteps through Tommy and Steve's staring contest to lean into her. He balances himself against the wall with one hand as the other pulls his cigarette from between his lips to offer her what otherwise would've been a dazzling smile had he not had cheap alcohol dripping down his bare chest.
"The Chief trusts them to go trick or treating with the other kids. I'm not their mother." She laughs softly, sipping her drink. He smirks, taking the red cup from her to take a drink himself.
"But isn't that all you're good for, sweetness?" He teases her, tilting his head slightly to watch her laugh with rising irritation.
"Go fuck yourself, Hargrove." He watches, his interest peaking as she lifts his hand to take a drink after him without flinching. He smirks, leaning down to her ear as she swallows and hums, "Don't you wanna help me, Princess?" Without missing a beat, her fingers slip from the cup to grip his belt and tug him close.
"I can't, I'm sorry. I don't carry microscopes on me, but I think one of the girls on your hit list might." She smiles innocently, taking his cigarette and snuffing it into the carpet under her boot just to add insult to injury before pulling away to walk off in the opposite direction. Despite the devastating blow to his ego, she kept it between them. How could she walk away after that? Her long black hair straightened under the thin tie dye bandana she tied around her forehead, those deep blue eyes shaded once more by those obnoxiously tinted hippie glasses and the way her bell bottom tights hung low on her hips stretching tight around her ass and thighs begged for him to go after her even if it meant he'd face more torment.
"What makes you think I'd want her?" He calls after her, following her out the patio doors. She laughs over her shoulder, pouring herself another drink from the spare keg before turning to face him.
"Isn't that the point of your hit list?" She shrugs as if it was obvious. "Aw, did she not make the cut? How devastating." She shifts her weight to one side, pouting playfully before laughing to herself and taking a drink.
"I mean, you're not on the list." He jokes, leaning against the banister of the patio next to her. She laughs and puts a hand over her heart in mock anguish.
"Oh no. Whatever will I do not having Hawkins' whore want me?" She shakes her head knowing the typical insult didn't bother him in the least. "Don't worry. You haven't made it onto any of my lists either. Besides the list of people that infuriate me."
"Oh come on, everybody wants me." He taunts her, tucking hair behind her ear slowly as if the brief contact was enough to make her swoon. For anyone else that may have been interested in him openly, maybe that would've worked, but instead, she ignores the gesture and arches a brow at him.
"I have a boyfriend, jackass." She laughs softly, shaking her head as he steps closer knowing damn well Ryan Williams wasn't at this party to stop him from touching her if she let him. "And those girls want you because you're fresh meat. Enjoy it while it lasts. They'll get just as tired of your shit as I am soon enough." She shrugs, taking another drink to busy herself. For a moment they just stood together listening to the vague conversations around them, until Tommy's voice pierced through the crowd again. He nods sharply in his direction and pushes away from the banister toward the patio doors, stopping to lean into her ear once more.
"Look, we don't have to get along much more than we already do, but Max likes you for some reason and that apparently means something to my dad so if you need a ride to the cabin after the party let me know." He offers softly, his eyes darting around to make sure no one else could hear what he was saying, waiting for her to nod that she understood before walking away completely. He knew her stubborn ass would sooner walk than ask for his help, let alone call Ryan, but this at least shut down that voice in his head that panicked about keeping her safe upon his dad's instructions. What more could he do after that?
Over the course of the next week, Billy grew accustomed to seeing Elizabeth tag along with the girlfriends of the basketball team members to practice more so than he had since joining the team. The arrogant notion didn't escape him that she may be there to secretly watch him, but that subtle voice in his head that kept him calm in favor of her relationship with the rising star she was dating. How the hell she could date that idiot was almost impressive to him, but as his eyes passed over the girls sitting on the bleachers he wondered what it was about him that caught her eye. He couldn't remember hearing her laugh around him or see them holding hands organically, both of which had been forced and uncomfortable for him to stomach as she obeyed his silent demands. It reminded him of the way his father would act publicly toward his mother, controlling and domineering and yet subtle enough to hide it to the wandering eye. Unless they knew her like he had come to after spending endless nights with the girl. Come to think of it, he hadn't seen much of her in the parking lot like he used to since dating Ryan. She used to send Max off with a hug at the side of his car, reminding her about her homework and their plans that night if she was coming over. Now it was pushed onto the walkies she shared with El. The idea of Ryan somehow pulling her from Max after what his father had demanded of him made him sick. He looks up at her, licking his lips just to watch the girl next to her swoon and make her roll her eyes, hearing her laugh softly at the reaction, and slams his shoulder into Ryan as he charges forward for the ball. Just as their coach blows the last whistle, Billy tosses the ball lazily into the basket across from him for an easy target before reaching down to help Ryan up.
"Plant your feet. Keeping your weight on your toes makes you an easy target." He suggests just as he once had to Steve Harrington, letting his hand go so he could step over him toward the defending group of girls.
"He's beautiful." The girl groans softly to her leaf next to Elizabeth as they reach the last bench, watching as Billy licks his lips almost animalistically as if he was starving. She nods slightly toward him, tucking her ebony waves behind her ear as she pulls two water bottles from her bag and hands one to Ryan once he was able to pull himself up off the floor.
"Thanks baby." Ryan smirks, wrapping an arm around her waist and gripping her side roughly as he pulls her into him. Billy stiffens as he takes the other bottle from her, noticing how rigid she became as his fingers press into what looked like fading bruises up her side under the slight lift of her shirt. She shifts at his side in an effort to get comfortable in his grasp, running her fingers through his sweaty brown hair to keep it out of his dull green eyes, kissing his jaw as a token of praise.
"Are you staying over tonight?" He asks, watching with mischievous delight at the jealousy that consumed Ryan's features and gave his eyes the light he needed to seem alive. "I think Max's skateboard popped the air mattress the other night. I'll be out with the boys if you want to stay in my room. Susan hates when you sleep on the floor." He smirks, taking a drink of his water bottle. The thought of having her in his bed was enough to drive both boys insane, but Billy's smile widened as his eyes caught the slight shudder in her breathing. Did she think about him too? She smiles, leaning slightly toward him to rebuke his statement as she normally did with some icy blow when Ryan tightens his hold on her.
"Nah she's gonna stay with me, right baby?" Ryan interjects, pulling her into him harder to get her attention again as if he needed to remind her who she belonged to. Elizabeth finally huffs and pulls away from the uncomfortable grip, feigning defeat.
"I can't. If Billy isn't going to be there, I promised Max's mom I'd watch out for her." She hums, adjusting the strap of her bag on her shoulder. Billy chuckles and hits Ryan's chest in a macho, playful manner.
"Don't worry man, I'll take care of her." He winks obnoxiously, leaning forward to cup the back of her head and kiss her hair. For a moment, he could've sworn she relaxed at his touch.
"Everything okay, sweetness?" He asks softly as the gym clears out. She busies herself, adjusting her books into a more comfortable position in her bag as she nods.
"Of course." She forces a smile once she finally looks up at him. "I'll save you some food too. I'm sure I'll have to cook for Susan and Neil anyway." She shrugs as if it was no big deal. He tilts his head slightly, lifting her chin. "I was kidding. You don't have to stay with Max tonight." He corrects himself, not knowing if she truly believed his attempt at making Ryan squirm.
"I already planned on coming over to help Max with a project for her English class. I'm sure your parents will end up going out then as well so you might as well go on that date with Dawna." She teases, motioning toward the girl waiting for him near the door. He groans and shakes his head with a low laugh.
"I told you, she's not on my list." He smirks. She laughs and reaches up to wipe away a stray hair that was caught in a bead of sweat on his cheek. "Neither am I but you want me in your bed." She laughs with a wink of her own before making her way out of the gym.
"Don't let those shithead kids in my room." He calls after her, trying to stifle his laughter.
"Don't be a dick, Hargrove. I'll invite them all over and let them jump on your bed if I want." She laughs with a final wave as she leaves through the heavy metal doors. This girl was going to be the death of him.