One

by awalkerlifeforme

Rachel has always known she was adopted; her parents never hid it. But she has a secret and when it nearly comes out, her family moves to the small town of Hawkins, Indiana. Her second chance at life quickly changes as she discovers a secretive government and a girl with a familiar story. But the simplest part of her new life is also the strangest: a handsome young man named Billy.

5. Chapter 5

About two hours after I had initially left my house to apologize to Billy, I arrived back home pleased with the way the morning had gone. My parents were quick to notice that I was in a much better mood than I had been when I'd gotten home last night. I'd just had to check in the rearview mirror to ensure that my face wasn't still flushed when I had walked back into the house. My parents were trying to contain themselves but they had still jumped at the chance to talk to me, wanting to know what had happened over the previous twelve hours.

"Was it a productive morning?" Mom asked as I wandered into the kitchen.

"It was," I told her, hopping up to sit on the counter. "Can I ask you something?"

"Anything."

"Did you ever go out with someone for the wrong reasons?"

My mother's eyes sparkled a little bit once she realized what I was talking about. She had already known that the date hadn't gone well but now she knew why. "I've never done that but it doesn't mean that I've never done anything for the wrong reasons," Mom said. I sighed. How could I have done what I had to Mark? I was never the nicest person in the world, but I was ashamed of myself. "Do you want to talk about what happened with Mark?"

"Not really, but it would probably help," I pouted.

"Did Mark do something?" Mom asked nervously.

"No, Mark was wonderful," I told her honestly. He wasn't my type but that didn't mean that he wasn't a good date in his way. "I'm the asshole."

Mom nodded. "Let me go out on a limb and say that this somehow has something to do with your friend Billy?"

She knew me well. "You're starting to sound like me," I teased. We exchanged a small smile. My parents had always known about my unique ability to know what anyone was thinking. "How did you know?"

Mom had only met Billy once for a brief moment. "I've only seen a little bit of your friendship, but I can tell that you two care for each other," she said. I blushed like an idiot. We didn't care for each other. We were just attracted to each other. "I also know my daughter and I know that the star quarterback or funny drama club kid isn't for you. You're your mother's daughter." I laughed at the truth of the statement. "You're interested in the guy who may not be the easiest to get together with."

"Difficult to get together with Billy Hargrove would be the understatement of the century," I growled.

"He's got that look about him," Mom said.

"What look?" I asked.

"He's the kind of boy that draws the eyes of every woman who he crosses paths with, but that's as far as it goes. He may know what to say and what to do but when it comes time to talk things out, he goes silent," Mom reasoned.

"That seems accurate. If I'm being fair, though, I'm the one who hasn't been willing to talk things out," I said.

Billy may not have been the most emotional person in the world but he had made it clear he wanted to hook up. I was the one who kept refusing. "No? Why is that?" Mom asked. I blushed as I looked at the floor. I wasn't sure if I should admit what I was afraid of. "I'd much rather you talk things out with me than keep them bottled up. I'm your mother. It's what I'm here for."

"Billy isn't the kind of guy to keep a girl around after they... go out," I said awkwardly.

I couldn't bring myself to tell her that he slept with girls and then never spoke to them again. It didn't matter. Mom nodded understandingly and said, "I see."

I blushed again. "Do you see the dilemma?"

"Yes, I do. You like Billy for far more than his looks. I think that much is very obvious," Mom said. I nodded at her. I had grown to like Billy for a lot more than his looks. "You're afraid that if the two of you go out, he will have gotten what he wants and you're going to lose the friendship that you've built with him."

I appreciated that my mother wasn't going to come out and say that she knew we would sleep together. "Pretty much. Any advice?" I asked.

Mom smiled, walking up and brushing the hair back off of my forehead. "Honey, you're one of the bravest people I've ever met." I smiled. "You'll do whatever it takes to get what you want. When you were younger, I always thought you were fearless. The truth is, we're not fearless. No one is and that's okay. Just don't let that fear stop you," Mom advised.

"What if he drops me?" I asked.

"What if he doesn't?" Mom countered.

"I don't think I trust that he won't," I told her.

Mom smiled. "You never know. Billy Hargrove may surprise you. Hasn't he already?"

Billy had surprised me since we'd met. Mom and I exchanged a long look. She was giving me a knowing stare. She knew that I had already been surprised by Billy's actions toward me. He had become my friend. He was my best friend in Hawkins. Billy hadn't stopped speaking to me yet and he had promised that he wouldn't leave me once we did hook up. Even our minor hookups hadn't steered him away. Billy Hargrove had been many things to me since we'd met and surprising had been one of them.

"Don't let the fear of what could happen make nothing happen," Mom advised.

"What would you do?" I asked.

Mom shook her head. "It's not about what I would do. It's about what you would do and I have a good feeling that you already know what you're going to do."

We both knew what I wanted. "I know what I'd like to do, I just don't know if I'm bold enough," I said.

"Speaking as someone who knows you better than anyone else, you are," Mom said.

Fair enough. I had never been a shy person. I smiled at my mother. I appreciated her confidence in me. Mom went back to cooking as the doorbell rang. I heard the front door open a moment later followed by some quiet chatter. "Rachel! Nancy's here!" Dad called.

"Thanks!" I yelled back. I hopped off of the counter and turned to hug Mom. "Thanks, Mom."

"You're welcome. You're my girl. Come to me whenever you need something," she said.

"I promise," I said.

As soon as I had, Nancy walked into the kitchen and smiled at us. "Good morning, Nancy," Mom told her.

"Good morning, Mrs. Winters," Nancy said.

"Do you girls have plans today?" Mom asked us.

"Do we?" I asked Nancy.

"We're going shopping," Nancy said.

"Have fun, ladies," Mom said, giggling.

"We will. See you!" I yelled back. I must have been taking too long as Nancy grabbed me by the arm and dragged me outside, much in the same way she had done to me yesterday. We headed out to my car and climbed in. "Are we going shopping?"

"We are!" Nancy chirped. I laughed, starting the engine and pulling out of the driveway. "You're going to Tommy's party, right?"

"I'd considered it but I hadn't decided yet," I told her.

Nancy whined quietly. I knew that she wanted me to go but I wasn't convinced I wanted to yet. "We'll get you a new outfit and then you'll have to go," Nancy told me. I laughed. That sounded like a good enough reason to go. "While we shop, you can tell me about your date last night." I threw back my head and groaned. Nancy laughed. "It was that good, huh?"

"It was easily one of the worst dates I've ever been on," I told her.

"What happened?" Nancy asked curiously.

"Exactly what you said would happen," I growled.

"It's a long ride downtown," Nancy goaded.

As Nancy and I drove downtown, I recounted what had happened on my date with Mark last night. Nancy didn't look surprised that Mark had figured out the truth. I hadn't made it very difficult to figure out anyway. Nancy did seem saddened to hear that Mark wasn't willing to speak with me after what had happened but she didn't look surprised. I wasn't either. If someone had done the same thing to me, I probably wouldn't have wanted to speak with them either.

"I'm sorry about Mark," Nancy said.

I shook my head at her. "Don't be. It was my fault. I shouldn't have gone out with him when I was doing it for all the wrong reasons."

"He'll probably forgive you," Nancy said.

Considering how angry he had looked last night, I doubted Mark would ever forgive me. "Maybe. You should have seen how hurt he looked though, Nance," I told her.

"I'd be shocked if you told me he wasn't hurt," Nancy said.

"I don't know how to apologize."

"Say you're sorry."

"I know that!" I snapped. Telling him that I was sorry didn't seem to suffice. "I already said it."

What else could I say to him? "You said it immediately after he realized what was going on. Give him some time to cool down. There was no way he was going to forgive you right away," Nancy pointed out.

"I'll feel better once I can get him to forgive me," I said.

"Just give him a few days."

"I'm just impatient when I want something."

The look on Nancy's face told me everything I needed to know. "Really? Because you've been astoundingly patient with Billy," Nancy said. I rolled my eyes at her. I knew that she was going to point out my slowly-evolving relationship with Billy. "It's been over three weeks and you two still haven't done anything."

"I'm not sure I'd classify us as being that innocent," I mumbled.

"You know what I meant!" Nancy snapped. "You haven't kissed or slept together, have you?"

Somehow, we hadn't. "Not yet."

"Yet?" Nancy asked knowingly.

"Ever," I hissed.

Who was I kidding? My voice hitched in my throat as I said it. "Rachel, you and I both know that's a lie," Nancy pointed out. She had said it and Billy had said it too. "He wants you and you want him. Tell me the truth. Do you think Billy would never speak to you again once you hooked up?"

"No," I admitted.

"So, what's stopping you?" Nancy asked.

In all honesty, I didn't have a good reason not to hook up with Billy. "I have no idea. Even if we did hook up and he didn't drop me, what would come after?" I asked.

It had been a long time since I was in a real relationship. I didn't know how to do it anymore. "You mean..."

"What would we be? Friends with benefits?" I asked. That was what I had done since my first boyfriend. Billy barely seemed capable of that. "That seems like the most Billy would be capable of."

"Do you want to... date him?" Nancy asked slowly.

Nancy sounded shocked that I may have wanted something more than a guy to hook up with. "I'm not sure. Nance, I haven't dated a guy since my first real boyfriend well over a year ago, and that had kind of a messy end. I've hooked up with some guys after that but never had another relationship after him. I've never been interested in another guy that way until Billy," I admitted.

"Wow, I knew you wanted to hook up with him but I didn't realize how deep your feelings for him were," Nancy said.

Neither did I until a few days ago. "I guess I see a different side to him than everyone else does," I muttered.

"Go for it, Rachel," Nancy urged. "You know you want to."

"Who would have thought Nancy Wheeler would be the one encouraging me to hook up with the new bad boy of Hawkins High School?" I teased, grinning at her.

"Not me," Nancy admitted. We both laughed as I turned into the center of the downtown district. "Park there."

I pulled into the spot she was pointing me to that was located in front of a vintage clothing store. I raised my eyebrows curiously. "A vintage store?" I asked her.

"There's some really cute stuff in there," Nancy said.

I'd never tried shopping at a vintage store before. I'd always gone to the expensive chain stores at the malls. "I'll take your word for it," I told her slowly. Nancy reached over to punch me in the shoulder. I laughed at her annoyance. "Sorry, I guess I'm used to the huge malls in Florida."

"Come on. Trust me," Nancy said.

If I was going to live in a small town I may as well have tried to act like a small-town girl. "Let's do it," I told her. I smiled at Nancy as we climbed out of the car and headed into the store. It was a little overwhelming. There were clothes scattered everywhere and nothing was organized. "Okay, what should I go with?"

Nancy hummed. "Something Billy won't be able to resist taking off."

I laughed and said, "That's anything I wear."

"Come on!" Nancy chirped, tugging me with him. "I'll pick it out."

Was she going to be able to pick out something between mine and Billy's styles? We didn't have the same style. I raised my eyebrows curiously. "Nance, honey, I love you but we don't have the same styles, and uh... you aren't Billy's style," I said, looking her up and down.

"Just trust me," Nancy said.

If she was going to get something for me, I was going to get something for her. "Can I pick something for you?" I asked her.

Nancy whined nervously. "Maybe."

"I'm taking that as a 'yes.' Go!" I barked, shoving her away.

We both laughed as we headed into separate rows of clothes. I noticed that Nancy was heading toward the darker sections of clothes. I headed to the lighter and pastel colors. I would take into account what Nancy would normally wear. It took me about half an hour of searching to find something suitable. It was a black, white, and gold dress that was tight on the top and floated out around the knees. There were striped patterns along the dress and two eagles that came together at the hips.

Once I was satisfied that it would look good on her, I ran to Nancy and tossed it in her arms. "Okay, try it!" I chirped happily.

Nancy laughed and headed into the dressing room. I looked through the ring section for a moment while Nancy changed. When she came out, I smiled proudly. Nancy looked at herself in the mirror nervously. "It's cute but -"

"No!" I interrupted, covering her mouth with my hand. "You said it's cute and you can't take it back."

"It's not something I'd normally wear," Nancy said.

"That's the point, genius. It's a party, Nance. Come on! Branch out a little. Wear the dress for me, please?" I whined. Nancy groaned as I rubbed against her shoulder teasingly. "I bet Steve will love it."

Nancy rolled her eyes. "Okay, your turn." Nancy shoved a handful of clothes into my arms. "Go!" she said, shoving me.

I laughed, stumbling into the dressing room. Nancy didn't grab a dress as I had for her. She had picked out something that looked a lot more complicated to wear. I moved slowly, trying to gather everything I needed. The outfit looked cute but Nancy hadn't thought to make it easy to get into. It took me almost five minutes to figure the outfit out. Once I had finished changing into Nancy's outfit, I turned to the mirror and audibly gasped. I hadn't expected an outfit like this from Nancy.

Maybe I needed Nancy to be my stylist. I was stunned by what I saw in the mirror. I had a pair of black fishnets on with rhinestones placed on the fabric. Laying over the fishnets was a tight and short blue skirt with holes deliberately torn in it. The waistband of the fishnets came over the waistband of the skirt. Nancy had picked out a black lace bra to wear as an undershirt. Over it was a see-through cropped lace long-sleeved shirt. I could easily see through it to the bra, which was also mostly see-through.

It looked like something I would have picked. I walked out to where Nancy was waiting. She grinned brilliantly at her work. "What do you think?" Nancy asked.

"Shit. I think I should have had you start dressing me weeks ago," I teased.

"You remind me of a hard-rock version of Madonna," Nancy said.

I'd never liked Madonna as a singer, but even I had to admit that her style was great. "You know what? If this whole reporting thing doesn't work out for you, I think you have a serious future in the personal styling department," I told Nancy.

"Thank you. So, you're coming to the party?"

"I'm thinking about it."

"Rachel!"

"It's been a while since I've been to a party like that," I said.

Nancy whined, grabbing my arm. "Come on, even I'm going."

"I'll think about it, okay?" I asked.

"Do you need a ride?" Nancy asked.

"No, don't worry about it. I'll drive myself if I decide to go," I told her.

"Buy the outfit, at least," Nancy said.

"Why?" I asked.

"Because you'll feel like an idiot if you buy the outfit and don't go to the party," Nancy said confidently.

It was a good way to get me to go to the party. We exchanged a look and laughed. I smacked Nancy but decided to buy the outfit anyway. Nancy and I changed into our normal clothes and headed to the register. We paid for our new outfits and I gasped, shocked at how cheap clothes were in Hawkins. The excitement in my eyes was enough to make Nancy laugh. We headed back home, chatting away happily about clothes. I told Nancy how stupidly expensive clothes were at the big malls in Florida.

Once we arrived back home we headed upstairs to study for a little while. It took some nagging from Nancy to get me to do my work. I liked learning but I wasn't a fan of studying for my classes with subject matter that I was forced to learn. Nancy was continuing an essay she had for her writing class while I worked on integrals for my calculus class. Nancy stared at my math homework and shook her head. She was good at algebra but had no desire to move onto calculus.

As we worked, we chatted a little bit about our futures. Nancy had always wanted to be an investigative journalist. I smiled. It sounded like an interesting career path but not one that I would have ever chosen for myself. Nancy loved that I wanted to be an engineer. She was all for female empowerment. I admitted to Nancy that I knew how hard it would be to find a job that didn't involve making a man's coffee (which made Nancy laugh) but I told her that I was determined to make a real career for myself.

The two of us studied for our classes for most of the afternoon. We had as good of a time as we possibly could while we were studying. I got most of my homework done and Nancy managed to finish her essay. I promised to read it over before Monday and Nancy promised to spellcheck my essay. I was admittedly not the best speller in the world. Nancy only left to go back to her house so that I had time to shower before dinner. Nancy left me with a warning that I had better come to Tommy's party.

Once Nancy had left I showered a changed into a pair of daisy dukes and an Iron Maiden shirt that used to be my Dad's. I threw my long hair up in a messy ponytail without brushing it. I headed downstairs and smiled at my parents as we sat down to have dinner together. We had a pleasant meal, chatting happily, and discussing our days. I told my parents about my classes. My father talked about work and my mother talked about some of her friends she had made in town. She had become close with Karen Wheeler - Nancy's mother.

We spent almost an hour chatting at the table. I'd had a good day for once. It was the first day since we'd arrived in Hawkins that I'd felt chatty with everyone I crossed paths with. I wondered if it was because, for the first time, I felt more confident about where things stood with Billy. I was finally feeling like I may have stood a chance with him. That thought cheered me up a bit. I mentioned to my parents that there was a party but I wasn't sure if I was going to go. They encouraged me to go and have fun with my friends.

It was hard not to laugh as I thought that it was Billy I would have liked to have fun with. I batted the idea of going to the party back and forth in my head for a long time. I did want to go but for some reason, I was feeling a little hesitant. It was just past eight o'clock when I heard Steve come get Nancy for the party. I was determined that I would make my choice in the next half an hour whether or not I was going to go. In the meantime, I was curled up on the couch watching television with my father.

"Rachel!" Mom called from the kitchen.

"Yeah?"

"I thought I heard the mail come around. Can you grab it?"

"Sure. I'll be right back," I told them.

My legs groaned in protest as I peeled myself off of the couch after having sat in the same position for almost two hours. I wandered into the driveway and headed toward the mailbox, yawning tiredly. Maybe I wouldn't go to the party. I grabbed the mail and turned to head back to the house, thumbing through it. It was mostly bills and some magazines. I stopped walking when I noticed Billy's Camaro come screaming up on the sidewalk, halting in front of my house. I arched an eyebrow as he rolled down the window and grinned at me.

"Can I help you?" I asked him.

"Come on, get in," Billy said, motioning to the passenger seat.

"Where are we going?" I asked.

"Tommy's party," Billy answered.

"I don't recall you asking me to the party," I told him.

"I don't recall caring," Billy shot back. "Get in."

We seemed to get ourselves into awkward situations whenever we were in his car. "No, thank you. Even if I do decide to go to the party, I'm perfectly capable of driving myself," I said determinedly.

"You're not planning on drinking, then?" Billy asked knowingly.

"And you're not?" I shot back.

"I am, but I can hold my liquor," Billy said.

"What makes you think I can't?" I snapped.

"I'm hopeful," Billy replied.

My face lit up. I felt a little stupid when I realized that he was planning on drinking and I would too, but he was hoping that I would get a little friendlier when I did. He would be thrilled to know that was exactly the kind of drunk I was. It really would have been a shame to put the outfit I'd bought to waste. I smirked as I looked at my clothes. I was barefoot, wearing ripped up daisy dukes, and a loose-fitting Iron Maiden shirt. It wasn't good party attire and I had a much better choice.

"Hang on," I told Billy. "I'm going to get changed."

"And you're not going to invite me in?" Billy teased.

I scowled at him. "Wait here," I snapped. I darted inside and threw the mail on the counter. "Here you go."

"Thank you," Mom said, flipping through the mail.

I darted off as I didn't want to make Billy wait too long. I jumped up the stairs, taking them two at a time. I grabbed the bag with the clothes Nancy had picked out for me from the secondhand store and changed into them as quickly as possible. I brushed my teeth and pulled my hair from its hold. It was still a little damp. It would dry in waves. I didn't have enough time to do anything else to it. It looked cute enough when it air-dried. I quickly put on some makeup.

It took me a few minutes to make sure my party look was cute. I wore makeup similar to what I had worn at old parties I'd gone to in Florida. I ringed my eyes with black eyeliner, making an inner and outer wing. I placed some deep purple eyeshadow on my eyelids and threw a bit of glitter on over it. I ran thick black mascara over my lashes but kept my blush and lip gloss minimal. It was more dramatic than I would have normally worn, but that was what I was going for.

Once I had gotten changed and finished my makeup, I slipped on my black combat boots with a chunky heel as I darted back downstairs. It had been almost ten minutes. I had left Billy waiting long enough. "Going somewhere?" Dad asked.

He had noticed what I was wearing and didn't look pleased with it. "I'm going to a party with some friends," I told him.

"Party?" Dad asked.

I'd already told my parents that there was a party tonight but my outfit now gave away the kind of party it was. "Dad..." I groaned. "Try and remember that you were a teenager once upon a time."

He sighed. "Be safe. Don't hesitate to call if you need any help."

"I promise," I said.

"Are you driving yourself?" Mom asked.

"No, I've got a ride," I said, walking in front of the hallway mirror.

Mom followed me into the hallway and glanced at me with her reflection. I was leaned over, fluffing my hair in the mirror to make sure I looked okay. She wrapped her arms around my shoulders. "Make him work for it," Mom whispered.

I giggled, wrapping my arms around my mother's. "Thanks, Mom."

"Knock him dead," Mom teased.

"Absolutely," I said happily. I smiled at her one last time as I headed outside and walked up to Billy's window. He was focused on puffing on a cigarette with his eyes closed. "How do I look?"

Billy's eyes snapped open as he turned to look at me. His gaze darkened immediately. "Fuck the party," Billy growled.

It was next to impossible to resist, but I had a good reason to go to the party first. "That has free booze? I don't think so," I told Billy. He laughed as I walked around his car and slid into the passenger seat. "We'll at least get the free drinks first. We can talk about what happens after."

"We both know what happens after," Billy said.

Yes, we did. We didn't need to say it out loud. I looked Billy over, smiling at him. "You don't look too bad yourself, Hargrove," I said.

We were dressed to the nines for the night. I noticed that the two of us looked like we belonged together. Our outfits somehow wound up complimenting each other. He was wearing a short-sleeved deep blue button-down shirt that was only buttoned to just above his belly button. It left his bare chest almost all the way revealed. He had his brown leather jacket over his shoulders and his jeans were as tight as ever. I noticed that he was wearing the same medallion he had since the day we had met.

"I thought you hadn't decided to go to the party," I said curiously.

"I hadn't," Billy admitted.

"What changed your mind?" I asked.

Billy grinned, meeting my eyes for a moment. "You decided to go."

"Funny. That was the same reason I decided to come out tonight," I admitted.

Billy grinned. "Do you have a curfew?" he asked.

"No." I noticed the grin grow on Billy's face as I reached over and took the cigarette from his lips, puffing on it myself for a minute. Billy took one hand off the steering wheel and rested his hand on my thigh, where it had become a habit for it to land. "What about you, Hargrove? Do you have a bedtime we have to get you home by?" I teased.

Billy tightened his grip to squeeze my thigh painfully. "Only if you're coming with me." I laughed as I leaned over and started pawing through Billy's glove box. "Looking for something?" Billy asked.

"I'll let you know when I find it," I said playfully.

There had to be something interesting here. Billy laughed as I started digging through his glove box. Most of his belongings were very boring. I found some rolling paper with small baggies that were meant for weed. I laughed, placing them back in the box carefully. I shouldn't have been surprised as he was from California. They were big smokers. Billy offered to share a joint with me anytime. I teased him that he had to find a dealer first. Judging by the look in his eyes, he had already found one.

Underneath the rolling paper were the normal boring car things. Like me, he had a tire pressure gauge, vehicle paperwork, lighters, and the owner's manual. I dug through his boring paperwork before finally finding what I was looking for. Old cassette tapes. I grinned, thumbing through them. He had Back in Black by AC/DC, Heaven & Hell by Black Sabbath, High 'n Dry by Def Leppard, and The Number of the Beast by Iron Maiden. I grabbed the Iron Maiden cassette. I was about to pull it out when I saw a box of condoms.

Of course. I pulled them from the glove box and scowled at Billy. "Really?" I asked, holding them up.

He glanced over just long enough to smirk at the annoyance on my face. "What? Now you're going to yell at me for practicing safe sex?" Billy asked.

That was a fair point. "I'm impressed that you do," I said.

"They're uncomfortable as hell, but I hate kids," Billy said, making me laugh.

"I'm sure that feeling's returned," I teased. Billy whacked me on the shoulder as I reached into the box. It was a twelve-pack but there were only three left. "Someone's been having a good time."

"Don't be jealous, Rach. We can use a few," Billy teased.

"You'll need more than what's in there, Hargrove, and I'm not a big fan of anything getting in the way," I told him. Billy turned to me with a funny look on his face. I arched my eyebrow. "That's what we invented the pill for."

His eyes darkened as he realized why I had tossed his condoms back into the glove box carelessly. "You get better and better every day, Rach," Billy teased.

"You haven't seen anything yet, Hargrove," I shot back. We grinned at each other as I raised the Iron Maiden cassette again. "Can I?"

"Yeah. I didn't know you liked Iron Maiden," Billy said curiously.

"I love them," I told him.

Billy popped the Led Zeppelin cassette out of the player for me as I popped the Iron Maiden cassette in. I ran it to the title track, 'The Number of the Beast.' "Good choice," Billy commented.

"Thank you. I've always wanted to see them live. Their shows are supposed to be incredible," I said.

Mom wasn't a fan of the band but they were Dad's favorite. "I had plans to see them in California before we moved," Billy said.

"You weren't able to go to the show?" I asked him curiously. Billy shook his head. "God, I'd be pissed. Maybe you'll get to go one day. My dad took me to see Kiss a few years ago and that was a great show."

Billy nodded. "They came to San Diego a few years ago. I was going to see them but my date wasn't a rock fan."

Billy hadn't gone to a freaking Kiss concert just because his date wasn't a hard rock fan? He was out of his mind! "What the hell were you thinking? You should have left her on the side of the road and gone anyway!" I snapped.

Billy smirked. "Maybe next time."

I grinned, twisting in my chair a little bit to face Billy. "You can take me."

"Would we make it to the show?" Billy asked playfully.

Normally, I would have admitted that we wouldn't make it, but there was no way I would miss a concert like that. "If I spend twenty dollars on concert tickets, I'm damn well seeing the band. You and your libido can wait two hours," I told him sharply.

Billy laughed as we headed toward Tommy's house. I began singing along to the songs as we drove down the road to Tommy's house. Billy commented that I had a good voice. I smiled and thanked him. It took about ten minutes to get to Tommy's house. He lived in a similar section of town as Nancy and I did. Tommy's house was already flooded with cars from our fellow students. The music was blaring down the street. Students were already milling around, drinking to their heart's content.

Maybe Indiana didn't understand the concept of being fashionably late. Billy parked not far from Tommy's front door. "Jesus. It looks like half of the school turned out for this," I said.

"Have you never been to a house party before?" Billy asked, surprised.

"I guess I wasn't expecting this from a little hick town like Hawkins," I said awkwardly.

Billy laughed. "That's fair."

We grinned at each other as Billy turned off the engine. The two of us hopped out of the car and headed to the front door. I could see that the majority of the junior and senior classes were here. We were greeted in the front yard by Tommy. He bumped fists with Billy and smiled at me. He looked shocked to see that I was at the party. "Rachel. You decided to come after all," Tommy said by way of greeting.

"What else did I have to do?" I said carelessly.

Hanging around the house with my parents seemed way too lame for Saturday night. Billy snorted at my comment and I nudged him. We weren't going to hook up. Not yet. Billy and Tommy started chatting as Carol walked up. I turned to her, sensing that she wanted to say something. "You came with a date," Carol commented, looking at Billy.

"He's not a date. He's just a friend," I replied unconvincingly.

"That's a hell of a way to dress for just a friend," Carol said, staring at my outfit irritably.

She was angry that my outfit was drawing the eyes of most guys at the party. She must have been used to being the center of attention. "I don't dress for men. I dress for myself. You should try it," I growled.

Carol's jaw was practically on the ground, but I didn't care. I hated her and I had said it for effect. Carol was one of the nastiest students at Hawkins High School. She wanted to be the queen of the school and have all eyes on her, even though she had been dating Tommy for years. She didn't like that her reign was being threatened. Though I may have dressed to draw Billy's eyes sometimes, I didn't dress just for him. I was proud of my body. This was the time in my life I would be able to show it off so I was going to do it.

It looked like Carol wanted to say something, but I didn't want to hear her. I blew past Carol, shoving her out of the way. She stumbled back as I took Billy's hand and pulled him with her. "Come on. I could use a drink," I growled at Billy.

Billy and I headed into the kitchen; unfortunately, Carol and Tommy were following us. Billy had an arm wrapped around my waist as we walked through the living room. I noticed Billy glaring at a few guys who looked like they were about ready to say hello to me, making it a point to keep them at bay. His grip tightened slightly as Jason passed. I smirked to myself at his reaction as we walked into the kitchen and grabbed ourselves two beers. Billy and Tommy were chatting as I looked around. Steve and Nancy must have been here somewhere.

Just as I thought that they appeared. "You came!" Nancy chirped.

She was wearing the dress I'd picked out in the vintage store. I grabbed Steve and Nancy in a tight hug as we pulled away from Billy, Tommy, and Carol a bit. "I had a cute outfit I couldn't waste," I teased, making a quick spin.

"That's underwear," Steve complained, looking at my outfit.

My parents would be happy to know that I had a third parent in Steve. "Your girlfriend picked it out," I told him.

Steve's jaw nearly dropped. "Nance!" he yelled at her.

Nancy backed away, looking surprised that we had turned it on her. "You know her as well as I do!" Nancy defended herself, pointing at me.

It looked like Steve was about to snap at her so I figured I would step in and keep her from getting in trouble with her boyfriend. "Let's be honest here. Considering what I could have come up with, this was probably on the conservative side," I told the pair, who both laughed.

That was when the pair noticed who I had walked in with. "And you came with a date," Nancy said quietly, motioning to Billy.

Steve groaned in annoyance. "Why can't you like Mark?" he asked.

Guys like Mark were sweet, but I had never been one for sweet guys. "Because I'm an asshole with a masochistic side, apparently," I said. Nancy and Steve laughed at my honesty. "What can I say? I can't shake him."

Nancy laughed. "Have fun."

"You too," I told the couple.

"Not that much fun," Steve said.

"Yes, Dad," I joked with Steve. He rolled his eyes at me. They were about to walk off when I called them back. "Hey! You owe me a dance later! Both of you!"

"Absolutely not," Steve growled.

I glanced at Nancy and said, "Get him drunk enough to dance."

Nancy laughed. "I'll work on it."

Whether or not they wanted to, I was going to get Nancy and Steve to dance. Nancy would probably be easy enough to get to dance with me for a while. Steve would be the real problem. He may have been a popular guy but he was the kind of person who hung out at the bar of a party rather than spinning around on the dance floor. Steve and Nancy grabbed themselves two drinks - a light beer for Steve and a soda for Nancy - as they headed back to the living room. Once they had vanished, I turned back to Billy.

Billy was standing at the counter talking to Tommy. Carol was at Tommy's side, sending me an annoyed glance. I glared at the trio as I realized that Vicki Carmichael had wandered up as well. She was standing almost pressed against Billy. I scowled at them. Vicki was offering to show Billy around the house; he didn't respond but he was grinning at her. That wasn't happening. I stepped into the tight space between the pair and shoved Vicki away. She stumbled back as I faced Billy but briefly glanced over my shoulder to scowl at Vicki.

"Uh-uh, he's taken. Shoo," I warned her.

Vicki huffed irritably and looked at Billy, but gave up when she realized he wasn't going to refute my claim. Billy grinned at me as Vicki walked off. "Don't get jealous, Rach," Billy teased.

"I am not jealous, Hargrove, but you can do much better than her," I told him. Billy nodded slowly. He didn't believe me. "I'm not going to associate with someone who stoops as low as Vicki Carmichael."

"Can I do any better than you?" Billy asked.

That was doubtful. I stepped into Billy, popping a knee between his slightly open legs. Billy reached down to rest a hand on my hip. "Absolutely not," I told Billy seriously. I was about to grab myself a drink when I spotted Mark out of the corner of my eyes. He had come to the party. I thought about leaving it for a moment, but I had to try. "I'll be right back."

Billy followed my gaze to see what I was looking at. He rolled his eyes and stepped back. "Good luck," Billy said.

It was obvious that Billy wasn't being honest with his words but I didn't care. I had to try and get Mark to forgive me one more time. He deserved to know how bad I felt about everything. "Mark!" I shouted, running up to him. Mark glanced up from his conversation with another one of the football players and sighed when he saw that it was me. He turned to walk away. "Wait! Please don't walk away from me!"

Mark's football player friend (Isaac, if I recalled correctly) began pulling Mark away. "Do you think he wants to talk to you?" Isaac asked me.

"I wasn't aware this was your business. Get lost," I snapped.

"Are you -?"

"Go. I've got this," Mark interrupted Isaac.

"We'll be outside," Isaac told his friend.

"See you," Mark said. Isaac grabbed his shoulder comfortingly as he turned and walked off, leaving me somewhat alone with Mark. We stood together awkwardly for a moment. "Rachel, I -"

"Don't want to talk to me, I know," I interrupted. I knew that he didn't want to talk to me (understandably) but I had to get out my apology. "Please, just let me say one thing to you and if you don't want to hear anything else, I promise I'll walk away and never speak to you again." I waited for him to respond, but Mark only let out a deep breath. "Do I have the floor?"

Mark hesitated for a moment before nodding. "Go for it."

"First thing's first, I lied already. I'm not going to give up trying to get you to forgive me," I said. Mark stared at me for a moment before breaking out into laughter. I ran my hands through my hair. I had to stop lying. "I'm working on being a little more honest. So, here's me being honest. I am extremely patient when I want to be and I want you to forgive me, or at least, tell me you'll work on forgiving me. So, I will stand here all night and however much longer it takes for you to forgive me."

There was no way I was walking away until Mark promised to give me a second chance. "Rachel -"

"I'll handcuff myself to you if I have to," I promised Mark.

He stared at me for a moment. "Do you own a pair of handcuffs?"

"Yes," I answered. Mark's eyes went wide as I realized how insane I had sounded. "That's not the point. The point is that I'm not walking away until you at least give me a chance to be your friend."

"My friend?" Mark asked, laughing.

It may not have been the most appealing offer in the world, but I firmly believed Mark would be a good friend. "Yeah. You were right that I went out with you to try and make Billy jealous," I admitted. Mark nodded knowingly. "I didn't listen to you or care about what you said because I didn't need to. You had served your purpose. But the truth is, you're funny and sweet and I'm an asshole for not giving you a chance. I'd like to give you a chance and I'd like you to give me one."

"As a friend?" Mark repeated.

"Yes," I said. Mark was still staring at me with a blank face but I could see that a smile with threatening to break out on his lips. "How about you ask me out again? This time as friends and this time I promise I'll listen."

Mark laughed, shaking his head at my misplaced confidence. "Despite what must be your worst attempts, I'm willing to give it a shot." I smiled at him. I could take a shot. "I don't know what it is about you," Mark said.

I shrugged, holding my hands up playfully. "I'm irresistible."

"So it seems," Mark admitted.

I grinned at him. "What do you say we make our first friendly activity a game of beer pong?" I offered.

Mark nodded. "We can do that."

"You had better win," I teased.

"I can win a game of beer pong," Mark said confidently.

Somehow, I doubted that. I was a master of beer pong back in Florida. "You better. You're the star quarterback of Hawkins High. It would be an embarrassment if you couldn't beat me," I teased, linking my arm with his.

"I think I can handle you," Mark said.

"Stronger men than you have tried and failed," I shot back.

No one could handle me. It was part of my charm. I was a lot more complicated than I came off as. I wondered if it was a lesson that Billy would learn in time. Mark and I laughed as I grabbed his hand and pulled him to the beer pong table. It might be nice to have another friend outside of Billy, Steve, and Nancy. The beer pong table was set up near the edge of the patio. I noticed that Billy had moved outside with Tommy and some of their other popular friends.

My laughter from one of Mark's comments drew Billy's eyes to us. He scowled as Mark and I broke up, walking to opposite ends of the beer pong table. It looked like Tina was about to walk up with a rude jock named Reed. I scowled at him, motioning Reed away from the table. His eyes glazed over slightly as he moved off. Tina huffed, following him away. I had hated Reed since Nancy had confided in me that Reed had teased her about her 'movie' the prior year. Steve had redeemed himself for his actions. Reed hadn't.

"Aren't we supposed to have teams?" Mark asked, realizing that I wasn't planning on inviting anyone else.

"Scared to do it one-on-one?" I teased him.

"You're on," Mark replied.

The kids who were on the patio watched casually as Mark and I set up the game. Every party I'd ever been to had beer pong tables. I rarely lost. Mark allowed me to make the first shot. I made my first one and grinned as Mark drank the beer. The game progressed steadily over the next five minutes. I made just over half of my shots. I was down to three cups and Mark was down to five. I noticed that Billy was watching me from behind Mark's shoulder. He winked at me as I made another shot. It went into the cup closest to me.

We laughed as I dropped to two cups and Mark remained at five. He was being a good sport even though he was losing. He hit his next two shots, bringing him down to three cups. I missed one shot before making my next one, leaving me with my final cup. Mark hit his next shot and then it was my turn. I missed mine and Mark made his. It left us even, each with one cup remaining. I made my final shot, ending the game after almost twenty minutes. The crowd went up in cheers for me as I laughed, crossing the table to Mark's side.

"Well played," Mark admitted.

I smiled at him, shaking his hand playfully. "Thank you," I chirped happily.

"I can't believe I'm saying this but I'm glad you decided to come," Mark said.

A smile formed over my lips. "I'm glad you decided to forgive me."

Mark nodded. "I don't think I had much of a choice in that matter."

I smiled. "I'm going to grab a drink. I'll see you later?"

"Yeah," Mark said, nodding his confirmation at me. I was a few steps back from him when Mark called me back. "Rachel."

"Yeah?" I asked, turning back.

Mark took a few steps closer to me so that no one could overhear us. "Whatever Hargrove says or does, don't let him fool you," Mark said. I raised my eyebrows, not understanding. "Everyone at Hawkins High knows he has a thing for you."

"What do you mean?" I asked.

We may have gotten along and flirted a lot, but I couldn't buy that Billy had a thing for me. Flirting wasn't the same thing as liking someone. "Notice that not that many guys have asked you out," Mark said. I nodded, blushing lightly. That was nice to hear. "It's not because they don't like you. Everyone does. It's because they're afraid of Hargrove."

"Right. Thanks, Mark," I said awkwardly, unsure of what else I was supposed to say.

There was no other option but to nod and try to figure things out for myself. Mark nodded and walked off, knowing I had to think about things for myself. Once Mark had left, Billy walked back to me with a shot glass in hand. It was vodka. "For the winner," Billy said, handing me one of the shot glasses.

"Thank you," I said, taking it. "Should we toast?"

"What to?" Billy asked.

What could we toast to? I stared at Billy for a moment before smiling. "To the one thing that's made moving to Hawkins bearable," I said, grinning at him.

We exchanged a small smile as we downed our shots. I groaned in disgust at the cheap drink. Vodka wasn't my poison. I would have much rather drank whiskey, which didn't seem to be available tonight. Billy wrapped an arm over my shoulders and led me through the house. We walked into the kitchen, laughing about my beer pong skills. Billy insisted he could beat him. I snapped that there wasn't a chance in hell. We each grabbed ourselves a beer and headed back to the living room.

It had been well over an hour since we had arrived. The party was gradually growing louder and drunker as the night wore on. Billy and I sat together on one of the couches with the beers in our laps. "Will you tell me something?" I asked suddenly.

Billy glanced at me. "Depends on what you want to know."

"What's the longest you've ever kept a girl around?" I asked.

Billy thought about it for a moment. "How long have we known each other?"

I laughed. "Not even a month."

"It feels like it's been forever," Billy said.

"That seems like an insult," I told him, narrowing my eyes.

Billy shook his head. "Not at all."

Even though I had told him that it seemed like an insult I knew what he meant. It felt like we had known each other for our entire lives. We had become so close so quickly. I shifted toward Billy as the crowd around the couches continued to grow. More and more kids were showing up and Tommy was running out of room in his house. Billy and I were being shoved to the corner of the couch as a large group of football players and cheerleaders came inside. Billy took my arm and pulled me from my spot to sit in his lap.

"I guess the question is how long this will last," I said once we had settled in our spots again.

"I'm not giving up," Billy said.

"I'm not giving in," I replied confidently.

It was going to take a lot more than a few longing stares and teasing comments. Billy nodded slowly. "That's okay. I can be patient." I shook my head, giggling at him. "My turn," Billy said.

"Okay."

"What was your longest relationship?"

My longest relationship had been my only relationship. "I think it was about five months with the first guy I slept with," I told him. Billy hummed thoughtfully. "That's the only relationship I've ever been in."

"Really?" Billy asked.

"Yeah. It was kind of a messy end and I decided after that that I never wanted to go through a breakup again," I told him.

"What happened?"

"You'll think it was stupid," I said. Billy nodded for me to continue anyway. "I was dating my first boyfriend, Jason when I was fifteen for about three months before we decided to go all the way. It was okay. I guess no girl's first time is great. We kept hooking up and had a good time doing so. After two months of it, though, Jason decided he didn't want me anymore and started hooking up with another so-called friend of mine. They spread all sorts of fantastic rumors about how pathetic I was in bed."

Billy shook his head. "He's an asshole. I may not always treat women well but I never spread rumors about what we do together." I smiled at him. I believed that. "You deserve better," Billy added.

"Thank you. It was kind of pathetic. There were so many people teasing me because of his rumors that I started... trying to prove people wrong," I muttered.

"Did you prove them wrong?" Billy asked.

"Do you think I did?" I asked him.

"There's no way you didn't," Billy said. I laughed, nodding my confirmation. "So, you've never dated anyone else?"

Dating wasn't for me. It had never worked out well. "I mean, I would go out on a few dates with the same guys sometimes or hook up with them, but as far as an actual relationship goes? He was the only one," I admitted.

"Would you look at that? We're a little more similar than you'd care to admit," Billy teased.

"Good to know that someone else has commitment issues," I shot back.

Billy laughed. "I'm committed."

"Being committed to sleeping with someone doesn't count," I snapped.

Billy lowered his hand to squeeze my ass. I jumped in surprise. "Sure it does."

"Don't tempt me," I hissed.

It shouldn't have surprised me that Billy was going to take me up on my offer. All he wanted to do was tempt me. I blushed slightly as Billy moved his hand further down my legs so that his fingers could play at the hem of my short skirt. I felt his fingers worm under the holes of my fishnets. I reached into Billy's jeans pocket and pulled out a cigarette, holding it for him to light. He pulled out his lighter, lighting it for me so I could take a long drag. Instead of blowing the smoke into the air, I leaned into Billy and blew it in his face.

We laughed at my boldness as we began watching the partygoers again. Many of the students were already plastered drunk. I laughed at the girls who were tripping in their high heels and the boys were drunkenly tumbling down the stairs. Billy's hands were tight on my body as we shared the cigarette. His lips were pressed against my throat as I sat back against the couch. I groaned as I turned to meet his eyes. Billy's eyebrows rose suggestively as I grinned at him. There were probably some empty bedrooms upstairs.

To my surprise, Billy had something else in mind. Billy rose from the couch as 'Shout at the Devil' by Motley Crue began playing. "How about a dance?" Billy offered.

My eyebrows shot up. "You didn't strike me as a dancer," I said.

Billy grinned. "There's a lot of things about me that might surprise you, Rach," he pointed out. I didn't doubt that. We all had our secrets. "Come on. Dance with me."

"Are you sure that's what you want to do?" I teased.

We knew that we wanted something more, but I could settle with a dance first. I'd always loved dancing. We didn't speak as Billy extended his hand to me. The crowd of students parted as we headed to the impromptu dance floor in Tommy's living room. I took Billy's hand and switched our positions, grabbing him tightly as pulling him onto the dance floor with me. Billy chuckled as we pushed through the students. We had both attracted the eyes of the opposite gender and we knew it.

Maybe we weren't the nicest people in the world, but there was no doubt that we were attractive. I didn't know who my birth parents were, but I supposed I could thank them for my looks if nothing else. As I tugged Billy toward the middle of the dance floor I noticed that Nancy and Steve were swaying respectfully in the corner of the dance floor. I met their eyes, winking playfully. Nancy shot me a thumb's up as Steve rolled his eyes. I was about to take another step away from Billy when he grabbed me, yanking my body into his.

I'd always been relatively stable on my feet, but I couldn't catch myself this time. I stumbled into Billy's body but refused to let him throw me off. Instead, I wrapped my arms around the back of Billy's neck and pulled him into me. We were so close that our hips began grinding together. Billy's hands traveled down my body to rest against my rear as I rolled my body into his. We didn't speak as we danced, but we didn't need to. Our bodies and eyes were saying everything our mouths couldn't.

There was no doubt that we were dancing way closer together than anyone else on the floor was. The songs changed again and again as we danced but we never moved apart. We continued dancing, progressively getting warmer and warmer. I could feel the sweat running down my spine from the overwhelming heat; it was a mix of the body heat from Billy and the heat from the rest of the dancing students. Billy's torso was covered in the same thin sheen of sweat he normally had after a basketball game.

Billy's hands progressively tightened around my waist as we danced. At one point after the songs had changed at least ten times I turned to straddle Billy's legs, rotating my body over him. His hands grew so tight that they left visible red marks when I switched positions and turned my back to him. I threw one arm over the back of Billy's neck, pulling him up against me. His hips were against my rear and my spine was pressed against his torso. Billy made no effort to hide how much he wanted me.

I'd never been the best dancer in the world but I knew how to turn a guy on. Billy may not have been a good dancer either but he knew how to use his body. His grip was tense but our bodies moved loosely. His breath was hot and heavy on my neck as I ground my rear against him. His hands were roaming around my body, gripping my thighs tightly and holding an arm over my stomach so that I couldn't move away from him. I turned back to Billy after a few minutes, meeting his piercing, heated stare.

It felt like we'd been on the dance floor for hours when we briefly broke apart. I smirked, backing away from Billy. He raised an eyebrow as I backed into Jason. He greeted me and began swaying to the beat at my urging. I kept eye contact with Billy as Jason placed his hands on my hips, low but far more respectable than Billy had. He looked furious. I knew that I should have learned my lesson the first time with Mark, but this was a little more innocent. Billy stared at me for a moment and let me go at it.

This was his version of a show. Jason and I danced, laughing happily as we swayed back and forth. Billy didn't break eye contact with me, even as I tilted my head back slightly to speak with Jason. I was barely listening to a word he said but he was serving his purpose. Billy looked furious with my games. He watched me for almost a full minute before losing his patience. Billy walked up and took me by the waist, pulling me into him so roughly that my wrist popped. Jason puffed up his chest in annoyance for the interruption to his dance.

"Get lost," Billy growled at Jason.

Even with a few beers in them, no one was going to stop Billy from getting something he wanted. Jason backed down at the angered look in Billy's eyes. "See you later, Rach," Jason muttered.

Damn Billy for the nickname. "Rachel," I snapped.

Jason was already halfway across the living room. Billy smirked proudly as I turned back to him. I smiled at him innocently. "Having a good time?" Billy asked me knowingly.

He was taking small steps into me. I wasn't sure what he would do if he caught me, so I stepped backward each time he stepped toward me. He knew that I was growing nervous, so he grinned as he slowly backed me into the kitchen. "I was having a marvelous time," I said.

"You didn't learn your lesson the first time?" Billy asked.

"What lesson? We weren't on a date. We were just dancing," I said, throwing my head back to Jason. "That was perfectly innocent."

"I know you, Rach," Billy said. We knew each other better than I wanted to admit. "You're not that innocent."

"How would you know that? We've never done anything," I said pointedly.

"How long do you think that'll last?" Billy asked.

"That all depends on you," I teased.

Billy glanced up to meet my eyes. I smiled at him as he stepped into me. I stopped walking backward. Billy's body ran into mine but he didn't stop. Instead, he wrapped an arm around my waist and pushed me backward. I laughed at the fury in his eyes. He knew that I was playing with him. I hadn't hidden it. I looped my arms around his neck and ran my fingers against his upper spine playfully. Billy placed his hands on my hips and tightened his grip, lifting me. I grunted in surprise as he plopped me onto the kitchen counter.

Thankfully, we were the only people in the kitchen. Everyone else was dancing or playing beer pong. "Is there a problem, Billy?" I asked innocently.

Billy's jaw tensed. "You're my problem."

Good. I grinned at him, reaching to take the whipped cream canister that was sitting on the counter. I sprayed some into my mouth. Billy watched with dark eyes as I licked the edge of my mouth to wipe away the excess. "What did I do?" I asked teasingly.

If I wasn't a woman, I knew that he would have hit me. "You're a pain in the goddamn ass," Billy growled.

"Yet here you stand," I shot back.

Billy grinned. "How about a game?"

"Name it," I said.

We had come this far. I wasn't going to back down now. "Come with me," Billy said.

Billy's hands slowly moved up my bare legs. I swallowed thickly, hoping that he didn't notice. I giggled as Billy took a bottle of vodka from the counter to bring with us. Billy extended his other hand to help me down from the counter. I hit the ground and took his hand to pull him behind me as we moved through the party. I was glad that everyone else was too busy dancing or drinking to mind what we were doing. I knew that otherwise, everyone would be talking about our potential hookup later.

We walked through the living room to the set of stairs near the entrance of Tommy's house. I smiled as Billy took my hand and pulled me upstairs. I knew that we were going to end up in a bedroom. I wasn't sure if Billy wanted to play an actual game or if he just wanted to get me alone. I didn't care either way. We wandered down the hallway before walking into what appeared to be a guest bedroom. Billy kicked the door closed behind us. I watched him move around with my arms folded over my chest.

We stared at each other for a few moments before Billy reached into his pocket and pulled out a deck of standard playing cards. "Do you know how to play poker?" Billy asked.

I nodded. It didn't take a genius to know what he was thinking. "Strip poker. Classy," I teased.

Billy laughed. "I didn't say anything."

"You didn't need to."

He smirked, knowing that we had just upped the ante. "If you're too -"

"I didn't say 'no,' Hargrove," I interrupted sharply. The two of us smiled at each other as we took our seats on the floor of the guest room. I shuffled the deck as we listened to AC/DC blaring downstairs. "You know how to play head's up?"

Billy nodded. "I do."

"Your deal," I said, hanging the deck to him.

Billy dealt five cards to each of us. I already had a pair in my original hand. "Draw?" Billy offered.

My hand was decent but I could have done much better. I thought about it for a moment before placing three cards down. Billy dropped two. I couldn't read his face. I didn't know if he had a better hand. I drew my new cards and Billy followed suit. I wound up with three-of-a-kind. It was a better hand than I'd started with but it still wasn't great. I looked up to meet Billy's eyes again. He had never tried to hide his thoughts before. It was stronger now. Harder than usual.

"Reveal," I said. Billy motioned for me to put my cards down first. "Three-of-a-kind."

Billy chuckled. "Two pair."

It meant that I had won the first round. "Start unzipping, Hargrove," I said confidently.

Billy laughed again as he took one of his boots off, chucking it away from us. We played the next round that Billy won with a flush. I had a terrible hand; I'd only had a pair. I took off my shoe and threw it to the side. Billy won the next hand too and I'd removed my other shoe. I made up for it by winning the next three hands. It meant that Billy lost his other shoe and socks. I lost the next hand and took off my first sock. Billy lost the next one and removed his jacket. I lost the hand after and took off my other sock.

Our normal clothes would have to start coming off. I wasn't surprised to lose the next hand. My best bet was a high card, which was a pathetic deal. "Running out of ideas?" Billy asked knowingly.

"I'm not worried," I huffed.

Billy watched eagerly as I unbuttoned my cropped shirt and slid it off my shoulders. "Not bad, Rach," Billy said, making it no secret that he was staring at my body.

"Enjoy it, Hargrove. It's the last time you'll see it," I snapped playfully.

"We both know that's not true," Billy replied.

He was right but I wasn't going to say it. We drained a third of the vodka bottle as we played. Our next hand was won by me. I grinned as Billy unbuttoned his shirt and dropped it to the ground. He knew that I was having a good time staring at his body. We played another round which Billy won. I thought about it for a moment before deciding to lose my skirt. Billy watched me with dark eyes as I was left in only my bra, underwear, and fishnets. My heart raced as I met his eyes.

We hadn't talked about where we would stop beforehand but I knew that we weren't going to end the game once we got down to our underwear. There was an unspoken deal that we were going to go all the way. We played another round that I won with a full house against Billy's straight. He stood up and unbuttoned his pants, kicking them off. I grinned and stared directly at his black-and-red checkered boxers. It helped that I could see the outline of himself against the tight-fitting boxers.

The next hand was easily lost by me. I stood up and sighed as I turned my back to Billy. I had to lose the fishnets so I may as well have made a show out of it. I hooked my thumbs into the waistband of my fishnets and slowly dragged them over my hips as I leaned down. I was glad that I'd worn the smallest pair of underwear I owned. Billy's eyes darkened as I pulled them off my toes and dropped them into the pile of the rest of my clothes. I decided to tease Billy again as I spun in a circle, showing myself off.

Billy nodded, looking like he was about to pounce on me. "Not bad at all, Winters."

My heart dropped. I knew that he was understating his reaction to not let my head get too inflated, but I was standing almost completely naked in front of him and all he could say was that I wasn't bad? "Not bad? That's all I get?" I huffed.

Billy grinned. "Until the next round."

We were both eager for the next round. I laughed as we drew our cards for the next round. We both took our turns exchanging cards and I grinned as I finalized my hand. Billy nodded for me to reveal first. "Straight flush," I said happily, placing my hand down in front of me. It was a nearly impossible hand to beat. "Beat that, Hargrove."

Billy nodded, looking impressed. It took me a little too long to realize that he wasn't impressed with my hand. He was impressed with his. My jaw dropped as he placed his cards down. "Royal flush." Well, I wasn't expecting that. Royal flushes were rare, especially with only two people playing. Billy noticed my hesitation. "You don't have to," Billy said quietly.

There was a tinge of sincerity in his voice that warmed my heart. He wouldn't force me to go beyond where I wanted to, but I wasn't going to let myself out of this one. "And let you tell me I chickened out? I don't think so. I've got nothing to be ashamed of," I snapped.

As eager as I was, there was a lump in my throat. I wasn't nervous to be topless in front of Billy. I was nervous about what would come after. I stood up and turned my back to him, feeling the heat spread over my face and down my chest. I reached behind my back and unhooked my bra. It snapped forward and I let it slowly fall off my shoulders to the ground. I glanced over my shoulders at Billy, who was leaning back. He nodded for me to continue. He was waiting for a show. I giggled as I turned to face him full-on.

Billy's eyes immediately dropped to my chest. My breath caught in my throat at what I knew he was thinking. He visibly swallowed. I was about to offer to play another hand when Billy rose. I didn't know what to say. Words seemed to have escaped me. Billy walked toward me as I nervously backed away. Billy stalked up to me until I was forced to back into the wall. Billy continued until he was only a few inches from me and then stopped. I wasn't sure if I was excited or nervous. Maybe it was a little bit of both.

We locked eyes as Billy approached. I knew that the little nod Billy sent me meant only one thing; I could tell him to stop and he would. I wasn't going to tell him to stop. Billy completed his approach as his eyes began moving down my body. My fingers began trembling slightly as he came close enough for me to feel the heat coming off his body. Billy's eyes moved from my legs to my stomach and chest and back up to my eyes. I nodded at him that I was okay with this.

Billy reached out, pressing his fingers into my collarbone. I bit the inside of my cheek to keep from making any noise. His hand slowly traveled from one side of my collarbone to the other, moving down my arm to come to rest at my hand. He took my hand in his and raised it over my head, pinning it against the wall. We didn't break eye contact as Billy used his spare hand to grab my still-free hand. Billy pulled it to his other hand, now holding both of my hands above my head. I was being pulled onto my tiptoes from Billy's grip on my hands.

My chest heaved rapidly as I stared at him. It felt like I couldn't take a full breath in. I felt Billy's spare hand rest against my upper thigh. It slowly moved up to my waist and over the waistband of my underwear before running up my bare stomach. I sucked in a deep breath as his hand moved to my bare chest. Instead of touching me where I most wanted him, his hand moved up between the valley of my breasts, resting against my upper ribcage. I was positive he could feel my heart hammering away.

My toes threatened to give out as my legs began shaking wildly. I blushed again as Billy's hands worked up over my collarbone and to my throat. He briefly held me that way. His fingers were pressing in enough to make me a little light-headed (though that could have been from the alcohol). It wasn't hard enough that there was a chance I would pass out from the pressure. Billy moved his face into mine. I breathed out heavily as I was desperate to kiss him. Just as I thought that he moved his hand off of my neck.

After the last few weeks, I knew I wouldn't get away without some teasing. Billy's hand moved back through the valley of my chest, again without touching where I most wanted, and over my chest. It kept moving down until it rested at my tattoo. My thigh muscle tensed as he ran his thumb over the tattoo. His fingers hooked into the black lace of my underwear as he met my eyes. I nodded my confirmation as Billy moved his face to mine. I could feel his breath fanning over my face as his hands loosened over mine slightly. Our lips were centimeters apart.

Billy's lighter grip gave me a little room to move. His fingers began dragging my underwear over my hips as our lips nearly brushed. It was at that moment that the bedroom door sprang open. Billy and I shot apart in shock. Billy moved to the door, only leaning down long enough to throw me his shirt to cover myself with. It seemed that we had been interrupted by another drunk couple looking to hook up. I turned my back to the stumbling pair to shield myself as Billy walked up to the couple.

"It's occupied," Billy snarled at the couple.

The girl stumbled back but the boy was still trying to enter. Billy shoved the boyfriend out and slammed the door shut behind them. This time he locked it. I breathed heavily, holding his shirt closed over myself. Billy walked up to me, his face flushed like I was sure mine was. "You couldn't have remembered that before?" I asked him sharply.

"Better late than never," Billy teased.

Fair enough. I laughed as Billy walked up to me. He grabbed me under the thighs and lifted me. I let out something between a laugh and shriek as he spun us, throwing me onto the bed. I laughed loudly as Billy landed over me, We smirked at each other as Billy took his shirt I was wearing and opened it, revealing my bare torso to himself again. Billy squeezed my waist as he grinned at me. He pushed my legs apart so that he could rest between them. He tilted my head up so that he could press a long kiss against my throat.

My heart began hammering in my chest again as he dragged his mouth down my torso. I had never been so excited about a hookup in my life. I had never met someone as forward with me as Billy was. He knew what he wanted and he went for it. Billy switched between pressing kisses against my body and dragging his tongue down my front. I blushed madly as he reached my waist. His fingers again hooked into the waistband of my flimsy underwear. I decided quickly and I wasn't going to let him stay in charge.

Using all of my muscle mass, I caught Billy's shoulders between my legs and flipped us so that he was underneath me. Billy laughed under his breath as I sat over his waist. "Something to say, Hargrove?" I teased.

"If this is a dream, don't wake me up," Billy said, leaning his head against the bed.

I laughed as I reached to the floor and grabbed the bottle of vodka, downing a long drink. I leaned over Billy as he pressed his hands against my ass. "Not here, gorgeous," I whispered.

Billy's dark eyes snapped open. "What?"

"I don't need flowers and chocolates, but this is not happening in Tommy's guestroom," I said, motioning between us.

Billy groaned as he threw his head against the bed. "Really?"

"I promise I'm worth the wait."

"You had damn well better be," Billy growled. I laughed as Billy stole the bottle of vodka from me and took a long drink for himself. He glanced out the window. "Looks like everyone's clearing out."

Most of the students were beginning to pull out of Tommy's yard. "Okay. Are you ready to go?" I asked him.

"If this is as far as we're going," Billy huffed.

"Oh, come on! You know you like me," I teased, throwing my hair over my shoulders.

Billy grinned. "Unfortunately, that's true."

Somehow I doubted he would have normally continued talking to a girl who blew off a potential hookup. I smiled at him as we rose from the bed and started getting changed. I pulled my fishnets on, stumbling around as I did so. They had always been next to impossible to put on. Billy laughed as I tripped and fell, getting a cup thrown at him in response. I slipped my skirt on and hooked my bra back in place. I debated on putting my old shirt back on but settled instead on wearing Billy's. I tied it up in a knot at my chest.

I'd half expected him to try and take it back but he was just watching me with a smirk. I shrugged my shoulders playfully at him. "Keep it. It looks better on you," Billy said.

My cheeks colored at the compliment but I tried to brush it off. "Duh," I said.

Billy changed back into his jeans and shrugged his leather jacket onto his torso. He tucked my lace shirt into his back pocket, letting it hang out. I grinned. It would look terrible to the others at the party but I didn't care. We both pulled on our shoes and turned to leave the room. Billy and I smirked at each other as we headed out. Billy wrapped an arm over my shoulders. This time I responded to the gesture. I wrapped an arm around his waist, placing my thumb in his back pocket. I noticed him grin to himself.

"I've never had to work so hard for a girl," Billy told me.

"You've had girls chase you for years. It's about time you had to put in a little work," I replied.

"A little?" Billy huffed.

Working for a girl once in his life wouldn't kill him. I laughed at Billy's annoyance as we passed Tina. She was scowling at us. I knew that she wasn't happy that Billy had dropped her. I pulled Billy a little closer as we passed her. "Had a good night?" Tina asked me bitterly.

"Better than yours, I bet," I shot back.

Tina looked infuriated by the righteous smirk on my face. Billy tugged me into him as we passed her and headed out. About half of the party had already left and most of the remaining students looked ready to go. The only people who were staying were the ones closest to Tommy and Carol. I looked for Steve and Nancy as we left but I didn't see them. Knowing Nancy, they had likely left a few hours ago. Billy and I had been dancing and playing cards for a long time. I would have to get the couple to dance with me another time.

It would have been impossible to miss the whispers and stares that were being flashed our way. I wondered if my relationship with Billy would be the next big rumor at school. It was likely as people were curious about our relationship status anyway. It didn't bother me to be in the middle of a rumor anyway. I was used to it. I smiled up at Billy as we headed to his car. I knew that it must have been extremely late. My adrenaline from our earlier encounter had left me and now I realized just how tired I was.

A few minutes passed before we reached Billy's car. He opened the door and let me climb in. I dropped into the passenger seat as Billy climbed in on the driver's side and started the engine. Normally I would have been nervous about driving, but I knew we were okay. Billy wasn't driving drunk. We hadn't drunk that much for the amount of time we'd spent at the party. Most of Billy and my drinking had been done when we had first arrived. We hadn't needed alcohol by the end. We were drunk off each other.

We didn't get more than a few hundred meters down the road when I was shattered from the haze of the night, realizing that I hadn't brought anything with me. "Shit," I muttered.

"Problem?" Billy asked.

"I forgot my keys at home," I told him.

"Are your parents home?" Billy asked.

"Yeah. What time is it?"

"Almost three."

My parents weren't the strictest people in the world but they wouldn't be happy that I was waking them up in the middle of the night to be let inside. "Oh, they'll love that wakeup call," I groaned.

"You don't have a set hidden outside?" Billy asked.

That was the best way to get your house broken into back in Florida. "No. They were always too paranoid to do that," I told him. "God damn it. I'm going to get yelled at for this one."

"I've got an idea," Billy offered.

"Be my guest," I sighed.

"You won't have to go home and get yelled at."

"Bring it on."

"Are you okay with staying out?" Billy asked.

"All night?" I asked him. Billy nodded. "Yeah."

Billy drove on for another minute before pulling down a dirt road. We didn't drive for more than ten seconds before he pulled aside. I wondered if there was a motel or something on the road but it was empty. That was when I realized that we were near a hiking trail I had seen once. I had wanted to walk the trails one day when the weather was nice enough. Billy parked near the back of the dirt lot and turned the engine off. We were plunged into nearly complete darkness.

He was planning on having us sleep out here tonight. "This is your brilliant idea?" I growled.

"I didn't see you coming up with anything better," Billy shot back. That was fair enough. I would rather sleep outside for one night than get yelled at for the wakeup call. "Come on. We can stretch out in the back."

"Somehow you had this planned out," I groaned.

"I'm not the idiot who forgot their keys," Billy snapped.

We met eyes and I scowled at him as I threw myself into the backseat. If I was being fair, he was right. This was my fault. If I hadn't been in such a rush I may not have forgotten my keys. Sleeping in the backseat of my car wasn't my preferred place (I would have much rather been in my fluffy sheets) but I had slept in my car before. It was mainly when I had gotten too drunk at a party and couldn't drive myself home. Billy waited for me to shift into the backseat before joining me.

"Look at us, finally sleeping together," Billy teased.

It wasn't the kind of sleeping together I would have liked, but I supposed I would take this too. I laughed, shoving Billy's shoulder. "Shut up," I groaned as we shifted into our places. "Watch the hands, Hargrove."

"No promises, Winters," Billy replied.

A light blush flooded my cheeks. I was glad that we were almost in complete blackness and Billy couldn't see my embarrassment. Truth be told, I wouldn't have minded if Billy had gotten a little handsy. Billy laid down first, closer to the edge of the seat. I slipped over him against the back of the seat and slid myself into the opening that Billy had left for me. He laid an arm over my waist as he turned into me. I placed my legs between his to give myself some room. We were scrunched up but I was comfortable enough.

It was difficult to believe that Billy was okay, though. I was shocked he wouldn't have rather been at home in his bed. "You're okay with staying out here tonight?" I asked him worriedly.

"I've got good company," Billy said.

I smiled at him. "Are your parents going to notice you didn't come home?"

Billy shook his head. "Nah. They don't care as long as they know I've got an eye on Max."

"Where is she?" I asked.

"Don't know, don't care," Billy said pointedly.

I smiled again, tucking my face into his shoulder. "Goodnight, Billy."

"Night, Rach," he muttered.

My heart fluttered slightly as I closed my eyes. I was more comfortable resting in his arms than I had expected to be. Our breathing and the chirping of crickets was the only thing I heard. For a while, everything was still but after a few minutes, Billy's fingertips began running slowly over my arms. I began drifting off shortly after. I tucked myself a little further into Billy's chest with a small smile on my face. The thing I still wanted the most was to hook up with Billy but I was slowly beginning to realize that I wanted the rest too.

Since I was a small child I had always had vivid dreams. I didn't dream in full sequences though, my dreams usually came in flashes. It was no different tonight. There were flashes of a young girl with short dark brown hair. A flash of a wrist tattoo that read the number eleven. I was standing in front of the high school in darkness, unsure if it was snow or ash falling around me. There were flashes of red lightning in the clouds that revealed a massive shadow-like monster hovering in the background.

A particularly bright flash of red lightning caused me to jerk awake. In the real world, there was no red lightning. All I could see was the early morning sun. I groaned slightly and leaned up. It took me a moment to remember the events of the prior night and recall why I was still in the backseat of Billy's Camaro with him. We were parked not far into the woods which, in the daylight, I realized were very easy to see into from the main road. Billy had shifted slightly so that I was almost on top of him. He was still sleeping and looked surprisingly peaceful.

The backseat of the car was extremely cramped, but part of me enjoyed it. I wasn't going to tell Billy, but I liked the feeling of his arm resting limply around my lower back. Our legs were folded together and my hand was resting on his bare chest. As I started to shift around a bit, Billy began to stir. His eyes opened quickly after. They were hazy, just the way mine were when I first woke up. Billy's fingers began moving lazily along my spine.

"Morning, Sleeping Beauty," I teased.

Billy laughed. "Good morning."

His voice was deep and gravelly. It made my toes curl as I turned to rest my chin on his bare chest. His fingers moved up from my spine to work through my hair. I closed my eyes. "If you keep doing that, I'm not getting up," I warned him.

"I'm okay with that," Billy said.

That was surprising. I had expected Billy to immediately kick me away from him so we could leave. I smiled, rolling back into his body. It was ice-cold in the Indiana morning air. It took me a moment to notice that Billy's jacket was draped over my shoulders. He must have given it to me last night before he had fallen asleep. I tucked one knee back in between Billy's legs. He smirked, placing a hand on my bare thigh. My other arm was running over his torso.

"Are you okay?" Billy asked, breaking the silence.

"Yeah. Why?" I asked nervously.

Was there something wrong? "You were muttering something in your sleep last night," Billy said.

Damn. I had been hoping I wouldn't do anything weird in my sleep. "What was I saying?" I asked.

Billy shook his head. "I'm not sure. It sounded like you were saying Josef," he said. I arched my eyebrows curiously. I didn't remember dreaming of a man. Billy grinned playfully. "Do you have a Russian boyfriend I don't know about?"

I laughed. "As if you'd care," I said. Billy shrugged, which I took as confirmation. "No, I'm sorry. It was probably part of my dream. I've always had these incredibly vivid and insane dreams."

Billy hummed. "That bad, huh?"

There was a time that I had been terrified to go to sleep. "Oh, yeah. My mother got so worried about it when I was little she took me to a sleep pathologist. They studied me all night but couldn't come up with anything," I told him.

Billy chuckled. "Even a case study can't figure you out." I laughed at him. "What do you dream about?" Billy asked.

"It depends on the night. Sometimes they're kind of normal and other times I think maybe I've seen Star Wars a few too many times," I said, making Billy chuckle. "I'm sorry if I kept you up."

"You didn't. It only lasted a few minutes," Billy said.

Strange. I hummed at him. It had been a long time since I'd had the kind of dream I had last night. "Thanks for getting me to come out," I told Billy, wanting to change the subject.

"My pleasure," Billy replied.

"And for this. You could have easily told me to figure it out and have gone home," I told him.

"I'd rather be here," Billy said.

That was surprisingly sweet. I glanced at Billy's fingers where the marks had appeared the other day. They were almost healed. "Me too," I said honestly. We smiled at each other as I gently nudged Billy with my knee. "So, when's the last time you slept with a girl but didn't fuck her so hard she couldn't sit?"

Billy grinned. "Never. They get kicked out right away anyway."

"And me?" I asked.

Billy stared at me for a moment. "You're different, Rach." I smiled at him. I was finally starting to think that I might be. "What about you? When's the last time you slept with a guy without going to town?" Billy asked.

"Never. I've never slept with a guy," I said. Billy's eyebrows arched in confusion. "Not like that. I don't let them stay."

"What about me?" Billy asked.

"Try and find out," I teased.

Billy grinned. "Are you going to let me?"

"Worth a shot," I joked.

At least out here, we wouldn't be interrupted. The backseat of a car wasn't the classiest place in the world but we could make due out here. Billy smirked at me as he tightened his grip on my thighs and flipped us as I had done to him last night. I hit the leather seat with a grunt as Billy flung himself over me. His hands slowly wound up my thighs and landed at the knot I had tied in the shirt he had leant me. Billy untied the loose knot and unhooked my bra. My breath shortened as Billy kneeled over me.

Billy's hand moved to the back of my neck and he yanked me upward almost painfully. I grunted as I leaned forward, allowing his shirt to fall off of my shoulders onto the floor. Billy tugged the bra off of my front, leaving me topless in front of him again. His hands were roaming everywhere but the place I wanted them to be. Billy reached for my hip and shoved me back against the seat. I knew that this wasn't going to be fast. We were going to be out here for most of the day.

Being out here all day sounded like a perfect plan to me. Billy leaned down against me to press his mouth against my throat. He trailed his mouth down my throat, over my collar, and down my chest in between the valley of my breasts. His mouth was following the same path his hands had last night. My hands wound their way up his bare back and landed in his curly hair as he continued down my body, coming to a stop at the waistband of my skirt. He began hiking the material up around my waist.

The skirt was almost at my hips when there was a knock on the window. I gasped in shock as Billy flattened himself over me, realizing that someone was outside the car. You've got to be fucking kidding me. My face was bright red as I looked at the window. It was Hopper. He was looking away to give us some privacy but was waiting for us to speak. Billy threw his shirt over me to keep myself somewhat modest. We pushed away from each other as Billy rolled down the window.

Hopper scowled as he looked at us. "You two again?"

"Hi, Hop," I greeted awkwardly.

"Go home, Rachel," Hopper warned. I nodded at him as Hopper turned to scowl at Billy. "No pit stops along the way."

"Yes, Officer," Billy said.

Billy's comment was respectful enough but I heard the anger in his voice. Hopper scowled at us he walked off. I smiled bashfully at Billy. "Well, maybe the fifth time will be the charm," I joked.

"I'll be making up for missed time," Billy said.

It had been weeks since we'd met. We should have already hooked up. I smiled at Billy, the blush working its way over my face. "That makes two of us," I said. Billy nodded and began fidgeting slightly in his seat. I glanced at his jeans and giggled. "Having a problem?"

"Want to give me a hand?" Billy asked, motioning to his lap.

I grinned. "No."

Billy didn't look happy with my refusal to give him a hand. He reached up and knocked me back against the leather seat. I laughed at his annoyance as I pointedly dropped the shirt to the floor. Billy's eyes went exactly where I was expecting them to go. I stared at him innocently as I moved past him and shifted into the front seat. Billy slapped my ass as hard as he ever had as I moved past him. I shrieked, dropping into the front seat. Billy chuckled as I turned back to scowl at him. He jumped into the driver's seat once I was in the passenger seat.

Once he was in his seat I leaned back and grabbed my bra from the car floor. I pushed the material onto my front, turning my back to Billy. "Give me a hand, will you?" I asked him.

At first, I thought Billy would tell me to do it myself. Instead, he pushed my hair over my shoulders. His warm palm rested open and flat against my spine for a moment. I had hoped that this was where it was going to go. Billy's hands worked down my spine slowly as goosebumps rose on my flesh. As his hands found their way to the waistband of my skirt, they moved forward to rest on my hips. I could feel his mouth press against the crook of my neck, gently nudging my head to the side.

A deep breath escaped my mouth as Billy slowly moved his mouth inward and up around the shell of my ear. He kept one hand firmly against my throat to keep my head tilted sideways. His other hand wrapped underneath the hem of my skirt to start pulling the fabric up. Any thoughts of Hopper and his warning to leave the parking lot were blown away by the feeling of Billy's hands and lips on me. That was what he could do. He could always manage to make my brain a muddled mess.

Any coherent thoughts had left my mind a few minutes ago. I could feel Billy's tongue running along the vein in my throat as his fingers wormed their way underneath the fishnets that were covering my inner thigh. I reached back, grabbing Billy's thigh as I let my head fall back against his shoulder. To hell with waiting. Except for the very rare exception, I had never been a patient person. The haze of lust I had fallen under was broken and I was shocked back to reality when I felt Billy hook my bra back into place. He pulled away without a word.

I whipped around and was met with the pleased grin on Billy's face. "What the fuck, Hargrove?" I snapped.

"Maybe I'm not that kind of guy, Rach," Billy teased.

I laughed. This was my payback from him for not helping out his little problem earlier. "Go to hell," I barked.

Billy chuckled as I threw his shirt over my shoulders. He didn't stop me this time. Instead, he started the engine. There was an unspoken agreement between us that we needed more room than the backseat of a car anyway. As we drove back to the main road, we passed Hopper's patrol car. It was a good thing we'd chosen to leave when we had. We laughed as I leaned up and waved at him. I rolled down the window and folded my arms on the windowsill, resting my head on them. I closed my eyes and enjoyed the feeling of the wind in my hair.

Billy's arm was resting on my knee as we drove through the backroads of Hawkins. We left the radio playing Aerosmith as we drove slower than usual. I knew that it was because we didn't want to leave each other's company. We had become very accustomed to having each other around. I eventually moved back into the car, putting my feet up on the dashboard and looking up at Billy, smiling at him. He grinned back at me, throwing his arm over the back of my seat.

The two of us chatted among ourselves on the way back to my house. I would have loved to stay out here all day but I knew that I had to come back home for at least a little while. I didn't know how happy my parents would be that I had never come home last night. I had to hope that I could come up with a good excuse for my absence. We drove for about fifteen minutes before arriving in my neighborhood. Billy pulled up in front of my house. I turned to him and smiled.

"Do I still get my library date?" Billy teased.

"It's not a date," I snapped.

"Come on, Rach. We've already slept together," Billy teased.

I snorted, shoving his shoulders. "I'll meet you there at two?" I offered.

Billy nodded. "See you later."

It was impossible to resist him, even for a study date. I leaned over and kissed Billy on the cheek. Billy smirked at me as I climbed out of the car and shut the door behind me. I passed in front of the car and headed up to my front yard. I turned back and waved at him. Billy nodded and laid on the horn as he took off. I headed to the front door and gently pushed it open. My father's car wasn't in the driveway so I figured that he was out. My mother was, though. She looked at me as I walked in and smiled.

"That's not the shirt you left in," Mom teased.

"Mother!" I hissed.

She laughed, holding her hands up in the surrender position. "I'm not going to say anything or ask what happened. That's between you and him. I just want to make sure you were safe and didn't drive drunk," she said.

"No to both. We were okay," I confirmed, knowing that it would ease her mind. I wandered around the kitchen counter and grabbed myself some juice. "If it makes you feel any better, we just slept in his car. It was late and I'd forgotten my keys."

"That makes me feel much better," Mom said. I smiled at her. "What are your plans for the rest of the day?"

"I'm going to shower and change and then... I'm heading to the library," I told her.

"Alone?"

"Uh, I'm meeting a friend," I mumbled.

She didn't need me to tell her who I meant. "Tell Billy I said hello." I blushed at the look she was giving me and fingered at the hem of Billy's shirt. "And that he has a nice taste in shirts."

We both laughed as I hugged her and we moved along to enjoy our days. I headed upstairs to shower and change so that I could head to the library with Billy later. My mother walked into the living room and flipped the television on. As I walked into my room, I thought about my relationship with Billy. I was nervous to try and move into the next phase of our relationship, but I was determined to try. I couldn't wait any longer. The next time we were alone together, I was going to make the first move.

A/N: Welcome back, everyone! I hope you all enjoyed the update. Thank you for the follows and favorites! Please review! Until next time -A

Angryfanfic: Rachel does have powers! I haven't made it super clear yet but I will clarify her powers a little more as I get deeper into the story. Hope you liked this one!

Vincent FGS91: In a way, I suppose. Technically this does take place prior to Season 2 but after Season 1. Billy and Max are supposed to arrive in early October but I rewrote the timeline to have them arrive at the beginning of the school year in August. Not yet! I wanted to set up the human side of the story before getting into the Upside Down and Eleven side of things. Absolutely! Hope you're doing well!