Chapter 1
To say Billy Hargrave was pretty would be an understatement, to say he was cool was also an understatement. Billy was cool because he was the unfamiliar, he played generic rock music, unless he was stoned and then it was laid back, psychedelic shit that no one had ever heard before, so distinctly Californian cool that it made him stand out.
The girls thought he was cool because he could swagger, genuinely swagger, and seemingly did not have one fleck of chest hair. Said chest also had abs of steel, Hawkins girls had never seen real ripped abs before, at least outside of a movie screen. The leather jackets, even at -10 degrees, and artfully arranged hair also helped, topped off with a set of baby blues. A regular Californian dream.
And because of all this Melody Henderson fully understood why people thought the blonde haired, chain smoking, bad boy was cool. Honestly she could. Totally cool.
To bad he was also the biggest dick she had ever met.
Also an understatement she'd like to add.
Melody also had to admit, if it weren't for Billy Hargrave, she would miss the singular hilarity that was watching Mrs Wheeler adjust her tits in her bathing suit on a sunny Wednesday afternoon. In fact, from her spot up in the big chair by the pool she could see the middle age ladies of Hawkins flutter in anticipation. Wired like gazelles awaiting a lion out on the savannah.
Leaning back and crossing her legs, the teenager watched the lifeguards changing room door. For a bad boy he usually had military like punctuality, and she was a little surprised he hadn't made it out poolside yet. But no sooner than she'd thought of it the door opened and boy wonder came strolling out. Like he was some sort of movie star the whole pool seemed to quiet a little, apart from the screaming kids playing in the water, the ladies tittered as he reached them. Aviators firmly in place Melody watched him smirk at Mrs Wheeler, she blushed almost prettily as he checked her out before moving on. Smirk widening into a sneaky grin as he cottoned onto the dark haired teen lounging in the big chair.
"Shouldn't you be watching the pool instead of me Henderson?" he snarked as he reached her.
"Oh I was afraid a fire might start over there," she snarked back, "or that Karen Wheeler had given herself whiplash."
"Aw you jealous of the hot mommas club Melody?" he breathed, eyes laughing behind the sunglasses, having stopped just short of leaning against her legs.
"Of Mrs Wheeler and her 2.5 kids, with a fat husband and a dreary little life?" she huffed, "hitting on high school boys to get a kick."
"Cos you're all about the college boys huh?" he casually leaned on the side of the steps of her chair, neatly sidestepping her.
"Yeah well there's nothing to look at around here," she smiled with a cruel tilt, "is there?"
"I bet they love these pretty pins, all tight from swimming," he simply ignored her, calloused hand skimming up her calf, where the hell did he get calluses from?
The dark haired girl didn't move, instead her eyes tracked the ghost of a bruise which curled around his shoulder. Smiling with a little with too much teeth, making Billy's eyes narrow warily, she reached out. Her touch was light and she secretly marvelled at his sun kissed skin against her own hand, still pale from the Hawkins winter. Tracing the bruise lazily she dug her thumb right into it and watched him hiss. Somewhere in the background Mort Brennan, the pool supervisor, shouted at them to hurry up and swap over.
Dark blue irises stared her down, and when he refused to flinch she grinned and released him.
Something about riling him up, or trying to, made her a little hot. Melody didn't like to linger on that little thought too closely, just hopped down from her spot in the chair and brushed past him.
"Sweeeet Melody," he sing-songed her name to himself as she headed off towards the changing rooms. Ignoring Mrs Wheeler and her little posse as she went.
The second time she ran into him that Summer she figured it was the small town, she didn't have a real interest in his eighteen year old selfishness, she wasn't looking for him or anything. Chuck Reynolds' party just happened to involve the same crowd every Summer party in Hawkins involved. Of course, Billy Hargrove just happened to be in the middle of it, lording around as usual.
"C'mon Melody, go score us some," Brian Costello, her college boyfriend of a year needled her.
"Why should I go?" she rolled her eyes into her beer bottle.
"Cos he likes you, he'll give you it for free," Brian nudged her waist as she was perched on his knee. Melody liked Brian's easygoingness, the way she sometimes danced around Hawkin's golden boy didn't seem to annoy her boyfriend. He'd witnessed Billy needling her at the pool before but Melody liked that he was self-assured. Brian was an unending reserve of self confidence that made her a little envious.
"He'll give her something free alright," Mitch Sinclair snickered. Brian cast him a dark look.
"The little shit thinks you're hot, just score us a little weed babe," he pleaded, "Put up with him for five minutes," this was beginning to bore Melody.
Which was a surprise, she adored her sandy haired older boyfriend. He was older, drove a nice car and took her on proper dates. Not just a quick trip up to lover's lake or to the diner or movies. Brian took her beyond Hawkins, to the bigger city of Hampton and further out, he was the best boyfriend she ever had. Not that she had many to be totally honest.
"You don't even have to be nice to him Henny," Mitch goaded her back to the present, "he likes it when you're a bitch."
They were in the middle of a field outside Hawkins, where else of course, and Melody glanced across the fire pit at where Billy was laughing with his moronic friends.
"I'm not going over there, look at them," she curled her lip in disgust.
"I'll come with, I was meaning to ask Carol something," Eva, Mitch's redheaded something, stood up and stretched.
"Yeah ask her about that thing she does-" Eva slapped Mitch around the head as he laughed around his beer, cutting off his cheeky remarks.
"Let's go Henny, mingle just a little for once," she smiled languidly at the younger girl pulling her up from a camp chair. College boys were thoughtful, Carol and her squad where sulking on a few blankets Tommy H had whipped out of his car. Toby Wiseman had a truck, it's tail gate where Billy and Tommy H were holding court but the girls were wasting away at their feet. Nothing would make Melody sit on those blankets.
"Fine, let's go make merry friends," she muttered crankily. "Since when do you not have your own stash anyway?"
"Since my uncle Hop busted me," Brian scowled, "you know that."
Brian's Uncle was the wayward chief of police, she was surprised he could tear himself away from Joyce Byers front door long enough to bust his nephew for anything. Brian came down to Hawkins on his Summer break while his mother and stepdad lived it up on an around the world cruise. Well mostly his mother, his step dad flew back and forth from here and there while wheeling and dealing oil stocks. One of those cheery Texans with a white cowboy hat and too much money. Shook her hand a little too hard the only time she met him.
"Did he smoke it on you?" she cocked her head as she stood up beside Eva.
Brian shook his head laughing, "he's not that bad a chief Melody, he busted my balls about having it in the cabin with El."
Melody wrinkled her nose at the mention of El, Brian was besotted with Hopper's little adopted rescue. But the girl made Melody break out in goosebumps with the blank stare and broken sentences. Like an orphan that had grown up with wolves and never learned how to speak. Brian adored her like the sister he never had though, so Melody had to be careful to not show how off putting she found the little stray.
Eva made off towards the other side of the fire pit, smiling and greeting various off shoot groups as she went. Melody ignored them all, settling her gaze on the blonde king smoking on the tail gate with a beer in hand. As she drew closer she willed him to look at her, instead of Tina who had gotten up from her blanket and was laughing prettily at something he said. Much to her chagrin he was much to wrapped up in the other girls itty bitty crop top, buttoned together rather precariously. Even Melody had to admit she couldn't compete with a showing like that.
"Carol," Eva trilled as they drew close to the group of newly minted high school graduates, her red locks flying as she hugged her cousin. They made a nice picture, red curling locks melding together.
"What are you doing here?" Carol looked made up at her older cousins attention. "Weren't you guys heading out to Indianapolis this weekend?"
"Oh that's next weekend hun, and gosh we can't wait can we Melody?" Eva elbowed her silent friend.
"Gee I guess," she looked at Eva perplexed, the older girl simply raised an eyebrow.
"Hawkins is so boring, Mitch is going up to the city for some trial, football you know?" Eva chittered before elbowing her again.
"Cool, is he switching colleges?" Tommy H brightened up at the mention of football.
Melody sighed and rolled her eyes, glancing at Billy to see he had managed to look up from Tina's top for long enough to smirk at her. Once he had her attention he muttered at Tina about a beer and she scarpered off towards Tommy's car.
"Well, what do ya want Henderson?" he raised a perfect brow. "Not like you to just hang with us mere mortals."
"I couldn't just come over here with my good friend Eva?" she sighed, taking up Tina's perch against the corner of the truck. Although a good foot away from the other.
Lighting a smoke he laughed, "I'm not giving you my weed again Melody."
"What do you mean?" she huffed defensively, wondering how he cottoned on so quick, before turning to look at him.
The Blond looked at her rather thoughtfully, "because you gave me the slip last time and it was all I had left. Here was I thinking we were going to share. No, I have learned my lesson. " Rolling his eyes he blew cigarette smoke in her face.
"Don't be petty Billy," she wafted a hand through the lingering smoke, "you know you've got plenty, you've restocked somehow."
Billy always had a stash, and it was always good stuff though no one knew how he got his hands on it.
"I've decided I don't like you Henderson." All matter of fact, he shrugged before taking another drag.
"Well that's not very nice," she stole the smoke off him when he blew smoke rings at her.
"You're not very nice," he muttered, eying the cigarette as she held it.
"You sound like my little brother," she goaded him a little as she flicked ash but didn't lift the cigarette to her lips. "Maybe I'll be nice if you share."
Billy was looking at her lips. Instead she just flicked ash again and opened her mouth, lifted the burning stick a little before stopping and closing her mouth. Licking her lips a little before doing it all on repeat. The teen mused that she was glad she reapplied her lipstick in the car, she knew her full mouth was one of her best features.
"If you aren't going to smoke it give it back." He sounded a little moody tonight, Melody thought moody looked good on him.
Motioning to his hand Melody half stubbed the cigarette out on the truck, but when he clasped his hand in her outstretched one she pressed it into his skin, still hot. Pulling it away she grinned cruelly at him, throwing the cigarette to the floor, fingertips pressing into the red mark. Watching her with narrowed eyes he didn't flinch.
"Give me something more fun to smoke Billy."
When she sauntered back to Brian, a pocket full of weed her boyfriend's eyes lit up. The dark haired girl tried ignoring the burning stare she'd left behind her, dropping onto her boyfriend's knee instead. Wrapping her limbs around him like vines and whispering how much she liked him in his ear.
A/N: Yeah this completely weird, Melody is most definitely not likeable. Billy and her together is not likeable but I guess they go together in a dysfunctional way. I'm not even sure where this came from...
I cranked this out in one evening, I have no idea where its going, if anywhere.
I'm still a little sad that Stranger Things would kill off their most interesting character. I guess we wait for season 4.