"Did you get any sleep?" Max asked, the following morning, looking down at her sister.
"Note to self…sleeping on the floor hurts" Krystal mumbled, rubbing her neck, sitting upright as she did so.
"I told you, you didn't need to sleep here last night. I'm a big girl, Krystal" Max pointed out.
"Yeah, well I didn't want to leave you alone. Any nightmares?" Krystal questioned, looking up at her.
"No. I slept like a baby. Because I'm fine. It's just a bruise, no big deal" Max huffed.
"He pushed you, Max. That's a big deal. Massive deal" Krystal grumbled, stretching her arms.
"You said he wanted to apologise last night. Why didn't you let him?" Max queried.
"Because he doesn't deserve your forgiveness. He's an asshole" Krystal insisted, pushing herself up from the floor.
"I already knew that, didn't you?" Max frowned, rubbing her eyes.
"I…I thought he was different. But clearly, I was wrong" Krystal mumbled, as Max looked at her with a sad expression.
"What do you want for breakfast? Pancakes?" Krystal inquired, a moment later, wanting to change the subject.
"Drowned in syrup?" Max questioned, making Krystal laugh.
"Like there's any other way to make pancakes" Krystal grinned, as she left the room, making her way towards the kitchen.
She came to a halt when she noticed a piece of paper near their front door and wandered over to get a better look. She frowned when she saw her name was written on the white paper and instantly recognised Steve's handwriting. Turning it over, she quickly scanned over the writing, her frown deepening as she did so.
"Max! Change of plans, you'll have to cook breakfast for yourself!" Krystal exclaimed, rushing past her sister's room.
"What? Why?" Max inquired, getting up from her bed.
"I've got to go out" Krystal answered, closing her bedroom door, as Max heard hangers rustling from inside.
"It's like six-thirty in the morning" Max stated, standing outside the door.
"I can't explain right now. But I'll be back soon" Krystal told her, opening the door to reveal she had changed into different clothes.
"Okay" Max nodded, sadly, having wanted to spend the day with her sister.
"Be careful today, okay? And stay away from those boys in your class. They're trouble!" Krystal informed her, as she rushed past Max towards the front door.
"Why'd you say that?" Max called after her, but Krystal had already shut the door.
Krystal had begun to rush down the drive when she noticed Billy's car was still in the same place as last night. She was shocked when she saw Billy was inside, his jacket off and placed against the window as a makeshift pillow. Before she thought too much into it, she stormed over to the car and ripped open the door, watching with great satisfaction as Billy fell out with a large thud. He opened his eyes groggily, looking up at Krystal, as she raised an eyebrow at him.
"Did you sleep in here last night?" Krystal asked.
"I didn't think I'd be welcome inside" Billy grumbled, as he pushed himself upright.
"I need you to drive me out of town" Krystal announced.
"What? Why?" Billy inquired.
"Because I asked you to, that's why" Krystal retorted.
"What am I, your slave now?" Billy scoffed, running a hand through his curly blond hair.
"You owe me, and you know it. So, get back in the car and drive" Krystal insisted, taking a step forward so they were standing only inches away.
"Not until you hear me out. Look, I fucked up. I know that. I let my anger get the better of me-" Billy started, but Krystal cut him off.
"Like you always do. You hurt my sister, Billy, how do you expect me to forgive you for that?" Krystal exclaimed loudly.
"You did what?!" A familiar voice yelled from a few metres away.
Fear washed over both teenagers as they saw Billy's father marching towards them, clearly having heard the end of their conversation. Billy seemed paralyzed to the spot, too scared to move an inch. Krystal saw her mother poke her head out of the house, a timid look on her face.
"I…it's not…" Billy stuttered, as Neil came to a halt only a metre away from him, his hands balled into fists.
"Krystal?" Neil questioned, giving the young girl a menacing look.
"Billy, uh…he…he told this boy who likes Max to stay away from her. She was really upset last night" Krystal replied, hoping she appeared more convincing than she felt.
"Then how did that bruise on her arm happen?" Neil inquired, as Krystal's eyes snapped over to Max's, who was now standing beside her mother, a guilty look on her face.
"Skateboarding. You know what Max is like" Krystal shrugged.
"And that's all?" Neil asked, turning back to his son.
"Yes, sir" Billy nodded; fear still obvious on his face.
"Apologise to your sister then" Neil stated, taking a step to the side so Max was in view, enjoying how Billy's jaw clenched at the word.
"Sorry, Max" Billy mumbled, making his father scoff.
"I'm sorry, I didn't hear that boy" Neil insisted, raising an eyebrow.
"I'm sorry for what I did. It won't happen again" Billy said, much louder this time.
Max nodded in response, not sure what else to do. She was still angry at the older boy, but if Neil ever found out what really happened, she feared for Billy's life.
"Billy was going to give me a lift to a friend's house. To start making up for it" Krystal announced.
"Good. It's about time you started making some friends. The last thing I need is a freak for a stepdaughter, after having this disappointment of a son" Neil announced.
Not needing to be told twice, Billy quickly made his way towards the driver's seat, with Krystal following not far behind. Billy pulled out of the drive as Krystal shared a concerned look with Max. She hated leaving the younger girl there, but where she was going was even more dangerous.
"Goddamn asshole" Billy murmured, as he began to accelerate the car.
"Billy, slow down," Krystal told him, knowing he was well over the speed limit of the suburbs.
"Why should I?" Billy retorted, pressing his foot harder onto the pedal.
"Billy, stop it. We'll crash" Krystal insisted, clutching at her seat.
"So?" Billy scoffed, taking a quick turn towards the main road.
"Do you want to die for fuck sake?" Krystal cried, as they narrowly missed crashing into an oncoming vehicle.
"Maybe. What's the point? What's the point to any of this shit?!" Billy exclaimed, angrily.
"Billy, stop! Please!" Krystal begged, reaching out and touching his arm.
Slowly, she could see the tension begin to leave his body, as he reluctantly slowed down and pulled into a nearby parking space, not caring that he scuffed the car behind them as he did so. Krystal tried to get her breathing under control, as her hand remained clutched onto his arm.
"You have a funny way of trying to make someone forgive you, Hargrove" Krystal grumbled, leaning back against her seat.
"I don't need your forgiveness, Mayfield" Billy retorted, as Krystal dropped her hand from his arm.
"What was that all about?" Krystal asked as Billy placed his hands back on the steering wheel.
"What's the address?" Billy queried.
"Billy c'mon, you can't just say something like that and-" Krystal started, but he cut her off.
"What's the address, Krystal?" Billy repeated, turning to give her a look, one which she knew meant the conversation had now ended.
"What a shithole" Billy announced, as he pulled into the decrepit building Krystal had directed him to.
"3833. This is the place" Krystal mumbled, noticing that the place looked almost abandoned, if not for the fully functioning security camera near the door.
"You gonna' tell me what we're doing here?" Billy asked.
"What I'm doing here you mean. You're going home" Krystal announced, stepping out of the car.
"Like hell I am!" Billy exclaimed, exiting the car as well.
"Look, no offence Billy, but this is basically none of your business. So, get lost" Krystal scoffed, as she started walking towards the building.
"Wait! You can't just go in there; it could be dangerous!" Billy stated, grabbing a hold of her wrist to pull her back.
"Like you care" Krystal murmured.
"My dad will kill me if anything happens to you, so yeah. That makes me care. That's why you saved my ass this morning, right?" Billy retorted, making Krystal roll her eyes.
"Seriously? You think that's why? I did it because I didn't want him to hurt you. Because I thought we were…I don't know…" Krystal trailed off, making Billy frown.
"What?" He asked, confusion written on his face.
"Uh, sorry to interrupt, but would you two mind not having a domestic in my front yard?" A voice boomed from a few metres away, as the teens saw it was a dark-haired man who looked like he had just crawled out of bed.
"Who the hell are you?" They both asked at the same time, noticing when a familiar boy came out of the building to stand beside the strange man.
"This is the guy I was telling you about…what's he doing here?" Steve gaped when he saw Billy standing beside her, still holding onto her wrist, letting go when he saw where Steve's gaze laid.
"Billy was just leaving" Krystal replied.
"No, Billy isn't" Billy scoffed.
"Can we please take your teen drama inside? God knows who might already be watching us" The man insisted, ushering them in.
"Great, let's follow the creepy guy into his lair" Billy grumbled, as he reluctantly followed Krystal into the building.
"So, this is…?" The man queried, looking to Steve.
"Krystal. And this is Murray, he's a private investigator. He's helping us to bring down those sons of bitches at Hawkins lab" Steve announced, as Murray slammed the door behind the group.
"Wait, this is Krystal? As in Krystal Hammond? Wasn't your dad the one who killed himself last year?" Murray inquired, bluntly.
"Actually, he was murdered" Krystal retorted.
"By the guys from the lab? I knew it! I knew there was something fishy with his death. Ha! God, I'm good" Murray cheered himself off, as Krystal crossed her arms over her chest and gave him an unimpressed look.
"Oh…and uh, I'm very sorry about your father" Murray exclaimed, awkwardly, as Krystal nodded in response.
"I'm sorry how is this weirdo supposed to help?" Billy spoke up, as they all turned to him.
"And who might you be?" Murray asked, placing his hands-on-hips.
"Billy Hargrove" He answered, with his trademark glare.
"Am I supposed to know who you are?" Murray retorted, which seemed to piss Billy off more.
"Oh good, you made it" Another voice announced, past the strange metal doors that connected to Murray's main room.
"Nancy? Jonathan? Is everyone involved in this?" Krystal asked, raising an eyebrow.
"The more heads together the better, right?" Steve suggested.
"Not in this case. That tape is no good. It won't hold up with general public" Murray announced.
"What tape?" Krystal queried.
"We taped the conversation with Dr Brenner. Specifically, the part where he admitted they killed your dad and Barb" Nancy explained.
"Okay, I'm kind of impressed" Krystal smirked.
"Hello? Anyone listening to me? It's a no go. If we try telling people about other worlds and monsters, they'll just think we're crazy" Murray went on.
"So, they just get away with it?" Krystal scoffed.
"We could bend the truth a little" Billy mumbled, as all pairs of eyes looked to him.
"That's it! I could kiss you right now!" Murray cried, with a bright smile.
"Please don't" Billy grimaced, making Krystal laugh lightly.
"Uh, I'm lost?" Steve stated, putting his hand up.
"They won't believe about the Upside Down, but perhaps Barbara was exposed to some dangerous toxins" Murray began, walking into his kitchen and pulling out a bottle of vodka and a bottle of lemonade.
"A leak from the lab. Like Three Mile Island or something" Nancy added, as Murray pulled out six pairs of cups.
"But that didn't happen" Steve frowned.
"Your lucky you have your looks, buddy" Murray mumbled.
"Hey!" Nancy and Krystal exclaimed, looking at each other awkwardly afterwards.
"Something scary but familiar. Close enough that it hits the man right where it hurts" Murray grinned, pouring some vodka into all the cups.
"And those assholes who killed Barb…" Nancy trailed off, watching Murray pour some lemonade into the cups.
"They'll go down" Murray finished the sentence, handing out the cups to all the teenagers.
"We water it down" Nancy nodded, taking a sip of her drink.
"But what about my dad?" Krystal insisted, not happy that he was being forgotten as usual.
"We could say he found out about the chemical leak. That he was going to expose it" Billy suggested.
"So, they killed him" Krystal nodded.
"Now this guy…this guy I like" Murray beamed, clinking his cup with Billy.
"He's a very convincing actor" Krystal murmured, taking a large gulp of her drink.
"Uh, do you have a phone?" Billy questioned, placing his drink down.
"Sure, it's in the other room. Near the record player" Murray told him, not paying much attention.
Krystal frowned as she watched him pick up the landline, wondering who he could be calling. Everyone else was too caught up in their celebrations, as they continued to drink. Krystal slowly edged away from the group, hoping to listen in on the conversation Billy was having.
"Hey, it's me" Billy exclaimed.
"She's fine. I just…I wanted to talk to you. You could have told my dad what really happened yesterday, and you didn't. I owe you, Max" Billy went on, surprising Krystal.
"Yeah, I never thought I'd hear the day I'd say that either. Look, I'm sorry for pushing you. I don't want to be like my dad. Ever" Billy sighed, with a guilty tone.
"I still think you're a little shit, but we're stuck together. We should look out for each other, not fight. I do enough of that with my dad" Billy pointed out.
"Max, can we not talk about that, okay? Krystal and me…it's complicated" Billy insisted, after a long pause.
"I know. I know, I can't hit everyone who says that I have some stupid crush on her…No, Max. You wouldn't understand, your too young" Billy stated.
"Thirteen is still a child, you know...Okay, yeah. I'll tell her…bye" Billy exclaimed, before putting the phone down.
Billy's heart dropped when he turned around and saw Krystal standing only metres away, clearly having heard the conversation from the way her mouth was hanging open. Billy racked his brain for something to say, but instead, he just stood there, his mouth opening and closing.
"C'mon, Murray's getting the shots out" Steve announced, coming out of the kitchen and placing his arm around Krystal, pulling her into the other room.
Billy had never been more thankful for Harrington at that moment, as he breathed a sigh of relief.
"It's getting late. We should probably go" Jonathan announced, a couple hours later.
"What about the tapes? We haven't finished copying them" Murray pointed out.
"Our parents will be worried" Nancy informed him, as Jonathan nodded.
"We can stay" Krystal offered, continuing to write the envelope she had been.
"Are you sure?" Steve queried.
"Our parents won't even realise we're gone" Billy scoffed, taking the envelope Krystal had been writing on and licking it closed in a strangely seductive way.
"It's not so bad. At least we get free alcohol" Krystal stated, holding up her almost empty cup of vodka.
"Who said it was free?" Murray questioned, making Krystal grin.
"We'll call in the morning?" Nancy suggested, standing up.
"Sure. Drive safe" Krystal told them, as she and Jonathan went to leave the room.
"I can stay…if you want?" Steve asked, coming to stand beside her.
"I'm good, Steve. Really" Krystal insisted, as he gave her a small smile.
"I'm glad you came" Steve said, before giving her shoulder a quick squeeze, and rushing off to find Nancy.
Krystal watched him go with a gloomy expression, wishing that he would have stayed. She might not have been in love with him anymore, but it still hurt seeing him running after Nancy. Billy couldn't help but grit his teeth as he saw the dreamy look on Krystal's face, wondering why she was still so hung up on the guy.
"This should only take another hour or so. You guys can take the guest room" Murray informed them.
"Uh…can one of us take the sofa?" Krystal suggested.
"That one is you. I slept in my car last night" Billy pointed out, making Krystal roll her eyes.
"Such a gentleman" Krystal scoffed, taking a sip of her drink.
"Okay, I'm confused. What's going on here? Lovers quarrel?" Murray inquired, shocking Krystal to the point where she choked on the alcohol.
"What?!" Both teens gaped at the same time.
"She's my stepsister!" Billy exclaimed as Murray's eyes flitted between the pair.
Krystal raised an eyebrow as Murray exploded into a fit of laughter, his head falling back in amusement. Billy's confusion quickly turned into annoyance as the man continued to laugh.
"Oh, wait, you're serious? Wow…forbidden love. Aren't you two just adorable?" Murray teased.
"Look man, you don't know what you're talking about. There's nothing going on between us" Billy insisted, making the man chuckle once again.
"I've been told a lot of shockers tonight, but that…that was the first lie" Murray replied.
"It's not a lie" Krystal scoffed, placing her cup on the table.
"No? Your young, attractive. You've got chemistry, you live together for god's sake!" Murray pointed out.
"Nothing has ever happened!" Krystal insisted.
"But you want it to, don't you?" Murray grinned, as Krystal seemed speechless in response.
"Leave her alone" Billy insisted, glaring at the older man.
"God, you two are just too easy to read. You…it's almost painted over your face. Dead father equals a whole lot of trust issues. You've tried to close yourself off to pretty much everything right?" Murray guessed, pointing towards Krystal.
"Hey, I told you-" Billy exclaimed, but was cut off by Murray's further psychoanalysing.
"Let me guess, daddy issues, right? Neglectful maybe…no, it's more than that. He hits you?" Murray guessed as Billy averted his eyes.
"He's a grade-A asshole" Krystal mumbled.
"So, you retreat into this bad boy act? You expect everyone to treat you like your father does because it's all you know. You lash out at people, so they don't get too close" Murray went on, as Krystal mulled this over.
"Two broken people so hellbent on hating each other ending up doing the exact opposite? This is just too juicy" Murray grinned, clapping his hands together.
"You've known us for all of five minutes and think you've got us all figured out, huh?" Krystal scoffed.
"Pretty much. I'm a people person" Murray shrugged, as Krystal now began chuckling.
"Yeah, it shows" Billy murmured.
"You're wrong about us" Krystal insisted.
"Really?" Murray questioned, with an amused smile.
"Really. And we'll prove it. We'll take your guest room, sleep in the same bed and nothing is gonna' happen. C'mon, Billy" Krystal announced, standing up and holding out her hand.
Billy's eyes widened at her comment, but he still reluctantly joined their hands and allowed himself to be pulled towards the guest room. Krystal dropped his hand the moment she slammed the door closed, much to Billy's disappointment.
"What a dumbass" Krystal grumbled.
"You can say that again" Billy replied, with a small smile.
An hour later and Billy and Krystal were laying under the covers of the bed in Murray's guest room, still in their day clothes seeing as they had brought nothing else. The teenagers were staring at the ceiling, an uncomfortable tension in the room. Krystal realised it was the first time she had ever had a boy in her bed before.
"You want the lights on or off?" Billy inquired, breaking the silence.
"On…definitely on," Krystal told him, still staring at the ceiling.
"What happened to your dad…is that why you have all those lamps in your room?" Billy guessed as Krystal nodded slowly.
"I have nightmares. It helps me fall asleep" Krystal stated.
"About your dad?" Billy queried.
"About lots of things" She sighed, thinking about how her nightmares had only got worse in the last few weeks.
Billy didn't say anything after that, as Krystal watched him close his eyes, signalling that he was ready to sleep. However, she still had more to say.
"Why did you say that today? That you didn't care if you died? That's not true, right?" Krystal inquired, turning onto her side to fully face him.
"It's not like anyone would miss me" Billy shrugged, refusing to meet her gaze.
"That's not true" Krystal retorted, making Billy scoff cruelly.
"Isn't it? My dad can't stand the sight of me, my mum might as well be dead, I have no friends and my two stepsisters hate me" Billy explained, the outburst having surprised Krystal.
"I don't hate you" Krystal frowned, as Billy rolled onto his side to raise an eyebrow at her.
"But you can't forgive me" Billy suggested, trying to ignore the fact that their faces were now inches away from each other.
"Max seems to have. Maybe I could too" Krystal mumbled, watching as Billy stiffened in front of her.
"Look, I don't know what you heard earlier, but Max has got it wrong-" Billy started, but Krystal cut her off.
"Just like Murray has?" Krystal stated, raising an eyebrow.
"Well, it's not my fault if people have caught you drooling over me" Billy retorted, with a cocky smile.
"Oh, you mean like you were doing at Halloween?" Krystal scoffed.
"Look, we're similar ages and have been forced to live together. Maybe we're attracted to each other…but that's it" Billy insisted.
"So, you don't care about me at all?" Krystal asked.
"No" Billy mumbled; his eyes downcast.
"Look me in the eye and say that" Krystal insisted, as he rose to challenge, his blue eyes piercing her own.
Billy opened his mouth to speak, but the words seemed to die in his mouth. In the soft yellow lighting for the lamps, he realised he had never been quite so close to Krystal. Her face was bare, showing the scar on her cheek that she tried so desperately to hide. As if his hand had a mind of its own, he brushed his thumb across her cheek, watching as her eyes dropped to his lips. Wetting his lips instinctively, he brought her face to closer to his, until their lips were practically touching. It felt like a sigh of relief when he finally pressed his lips against hers, with barely any force behind the gesture, as if he was scared she would run away. Krystal reacted in the opposite way, as she pressed her lips firmly against his own, placing her hand over his larger one against her cheek. Billy was sure it must have been the most chaste kiss he had ever had. Not to mention the only one that had his heart thumping in his chest, his palms sweating, as he pulled Krystal closer. She was the first one to pull away, her forehead resting against his own, as he felt her breath fan over his lips.
"Why did you do that?" Krystal questioned; her blue eyes wide.
"I…I don't know" Billy admitted, watching as Krystal licked her lips.
"If anyone finds out about this…" Krystal trailed off.
"It was a one-time thing. No one needs to know" Billy told her.
"Right. It should never happen again" Krystal replied, her breathing quickening.
Before Billy knew what he was doing, his hand had tangled itself into her brunette hair and pulled her towards him, their lips crashing together. What would one more kiss hurt, Billy thought to himself.
Author's Notes: I hope you all enjoyed this chapter! So, they've finally kissed. What is this going to mean for their relationship in the future? Please leave a review:)
.2019: Thank you!
smokenmirrors94: Aw, thank you:) That's so nice of you to say, I'm glad you like Krystal. Billy's a difficult character to write, but so much fun, haha.
Guest: Thank you! I'm really glad you're enjoying this story:)